Photo of Sam Carista provided by Oswego Speedway.
OSWEGO – Treasured Central New York racing competitor ‘Slammin’ Sam Carista of West Monroe, New York, passed away on Friday morning, April 2. He was 90 years old.
A fixture at area short tracks for more than 70 years, Carista raced competitively from 1948 all the way through 2018, when he had his last stint in the 4-Cylinder division at Brewerton Speedway.
Carista has won countless races and track championships at upstate short tracks, and also raced on and off in Oswego’s Supermodified division from 1965 to 1980.
The dirt racer began his Oswego career in ‘65 driving the Caruso / Hackett built No. 113 for car owner Dick Bloom.