Some racing friendships are built in the paddock. Others are built battling for the same piece of asphalt.
Sampson Racing Communications owner Shawn Sampson and Charlie Buzzetti of Slowdog Racing have done just about everything together over the past 30 years. They have been teammates, team owners, and fierce competitors on track in Pro RX-7s and Spec Miatas. They have also teamed up to win endurance races together across NASA, World Racing League (WRL), and Lucky Dog Racing League events.
So you could say these two have spent a few decades figuring out how to work together, and how to beat each other.
One for the history books
Back in 2004, Shawn and Charlie teamed up to capture the E1 class overall victory at the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill, one of the toughest challenges in endurance racing.
Fast-forward to this past weekend, and the duo teamed up once again with Slowdog Racing at the Lucky Dog Racing League's Wild Dawgs of Chuckwalla, held October 10 to 11, 2026 at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway.
And apparently, they have not forgotten how to get the job done.
- Saturday: 3rd place
- Sunday: 2nd place
Thirty years of racing together, racing against each other, winning endurance races, and making memories, and now two more podium finishes to add to the collection.
What 30 years on track has to do with your radios
This is more than a racing story. It is a real-world example of what sets Sampson Racing Communications apart.
SRC is not just a company selling racing radios and communication equipment. It was built on decades of actual racing experience: from the driver's seat to the pits, from sprint races to 25-hour endurance battles, and from competing against the competition to working together as a team.
That firsthand experience matters. We understand what race teams need because we have lived it ourselves: the pressure, the noise, the split-second decisions, and the importance of clear, dependable communications when it matters most.
It is why our endurance racing radio systems are specified the way they are, why our IMSA S9 helmet kits use the microphone and boom we trust in our own cars, and why our crew and spotter headsets are built to survive a full race weekend rather than a test day.
SRC brings a depth of real-world racing communications experience and history that is hard to match. We do not just sell racing communications. We live racing communications.
Thank you
A huge thank-you to Charlie Buzzetti, Marcelo Vine, and Chuck Hoops. In this kind of racing the drivers are the crew: the same four people who ran the stints also did the wrenching, the fueling, and the driver changes. Thanks as well to everyone else who made another memorable weekend possible.
Here is to old friends, great competition, endurance racing, and many more laps together. After 30 years, we are still having fun, and we are not done yet.
Sampson Racing Communications. Built by racers. Trusted by racers. Still racing.
Questions about a radio system for your endurance program? Call SRC at (805) 650-7223 or browse complete racing radio systems.