Schmidt files third entry for Nashville IPS race.

Sam Schmidt Motorsports has filed a third entry for the Nashville 100 IRL Infiniti Pro Series race on Friday at Nashville Superspeedway, as Ross Fonferko will drive the No. 6 Dallara-Infiniti as a teammate to series regulars Brandon Erwin and Tom Wood.

Fonferko, from Wheaton, Illinois, is a veteran of Toyota Atlantic and U.S. F2000 racing. He also participated in the Indy Racing League Test in the West in February.

Schmidt and the organization he founded, the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation (SSPF), have also been nominated to receive prestigious New Freedom Awards.

The awards program honours extraordinary achievements in creating new freedoms for people who have a disability. Schmidt was paralysed in an IndyCar Series testing crash in January 2000.

Scott Cronk, the chairman of the board of the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation, will attend the New Freedom Awards Gala on July 22nd in the Grand Ballroom at the Navy Pier in Chicago to represent both Schmidt and the SSPF. More than 1,000 people are expected to attend.

Schmidt was nominated in two categories: Best New Freedom Individual and Best New Freedom Individual in an Inspiring Role. The SSPF was nominated in three categories: Best New Freedom Organization, Best New Freedom Research and Best New Freedom Communication Award.

A coalition of more than 40 charitable organizations and leading professionals helping those with disabilities selects the nominees each year.