The Sports Car Club of America® hosts hundreds of road races each year, none of which would be possible without the determination and dedication of SCCA’s talented volunteer work force. Without these volunteers, there would be no SCCA National Championship Runoffs® presented by Sunoco, let alone the Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour, U.S. Majors Tour®, or Divisional and Regional road racing. Put simply, SCCA’s volunteer workers make the entire Summit Racing Equipment SCCA Road Racing program possible. To help recognize these accomplishments, SCCA annually honors standout volunteers with the SCCA Worker of the Year Awards, presented by Mazda.

The 2024 SCCA Worker of the Year presentation was made on Friday evening, Oct. 4, at the Road America Center following the first day of racing at the National Championship Runoffs. This year’s awards covered Flagging & Communications, Pit & Grid, Race Administration, Scrutineer, Start, Steward, and Timing & Scoring

SCCA members submitted Worker of the Year nominations, with winners selected by the SCCA National Staff with input from Division leadership. It’s important to note that if the membership didn’t submit a nomination for a specific specialty, a Worker of the Year Award may not have been presented.

All award recipients have shown dedication throughout the season to their specialties, events, SCCA Regions, competitors, fellow workers, and the Club as a whole. They’ve exhibited strong skills, good leadership, and a willingness to go above and beyond what is expected to offer excellent customer service.

Flagging & Communications

Nicole Prevenas, Blackhawk Valley Region
Nicole Prevenas helps train and improve processes within the F&C team for her Division. Preparation is the key to success, and Prevenas puts in the time to ensure that every aspect of communication is sorted out in advance with a plan and a backup plan, just in case the bizarre happens. During morning corner meetings, she recognizes corner workers for outstanding moments from the previous day – it’s a little thing that makes a big impact. Always encouraging and coaching and inspiring her fellow members, she was described by fellow Club members as “one of the best I have worked with,” “a rock in race control,” and “genuinely caring.”

Pit & Grid

Thomas McLeod, Washington DC Region
A member since 1991, Thomas McLeod holds worker licenses in Tech, Race Administration, Start, Sound Control, F&C, and Grid and Pit. A valued member of his Region’s team, as well as working events in and out of his Division, McLeod shows up early to help with setup before events and is willing to fill any position that’s needed throughout each weekend. Always dependable, McLeod has been known to give an assist to pit lane during session stoppages, while his strong technical knowledge has often been tapped, adding to the value and contributions he brings to all events.

Race Administration

Megan Tyler, North Carolina Region
A member since 2016, Megan Tyler holds specialty licenses for Tech, Timing & Scoring, Pit and Grid, Registration, and is a certified Flagging & Communications license holder. She is the Assistant RE for her Region, competition BOD chair, and volunteer coordinator for recruitment and retention. She also knows that making connections and building relationships is what hooks people. Tyler works with every new worker no matter the specialty, and ensures that they have all the information, tools, and supplies they need, following up with them to help them navigate the Club and ensure they feel welcome. And if that wasn’t enough, she has also served as the F&C assistant for three Regions and volunteers for Grid, T&S, Registration, Tech, and Race Chair.  She has poured herself into her Region and Division work, making a marked impact on whatever she touches. Ask her why, and her answer will likely be: “Because I can.”

Scrutineer

Shelby Robbins, Eastern Tennessee Region
After watching racing on TV, Shelby Robbins was inspired to pursue a dream of becoming a motorsports engineer. Her stepfather started researching motorsports organizations, discovered SCCA, and decided that would be a good place to start. They attended the Hoosier Super Tour hosted by the Atlanta Region at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta this year and, loving the sport and the family atmosphere of SCCA, dove headfirst into the Club and their new motorsports passion. She then worked the VIR, Mid-Ohio, and June Sprints® Super Tours, volunteering in Tech during the day and working her regular job at night. Now a full-time student at Tennessee Tech working on her degree and applying her SCCA experience to further her success in that program, this may be her first year in the SCCA, but she’s already part of the family.

Start

Jamey Osborne, Lone Star Region
Jamey Osborne works diligently to make sure the team in his Division is well staffed and well trained to deliver a high level of Start service to the participants. Osborne ensures his team has all the tools they need to do the job, even sourcing an electronic number board that could be operated quickly with one hand, making it easier to signal certain cars when staffing is light. An outstanding ambassador for the specialty, eager to encourage anyone interested in Start to join him during the day, Osborne promotes the SCCA’s welcoming environment by creating a fun and inviting atmosphere, being a mentor to new marshals of all the specialties.

Steward

Joseph Stadelmann, New England Region
Joseph Stadelmann has been a Club member for nearly 35 years, beginning his SCCA life in a race car. About six years ago, he entered the Stewards Program as a Steward in Training. Now a National Steward and an active racer holding a Full Competition License, Stadelmann is described by his peers as exceptionally thorough and prepared. The driver experience and perspective he brings to his Stewarding work is a valuable pairing, with his insight and ability to analyze on-track situations allowing him to communicate with drivers in a way that leaves them with a better understanding and assessment of all points of view. He’s also spent this year traveling to many Hoosier Super Tours to support Kathy Barnes, with assistant Race Director duties.

Timing & Scoring

Scott Anger, Milwaukee Region
A member of the SCCA since 2006, Scott Anger can be counted on for supporting all of his Division’s events. He has devoted himself to learning the Orbits timing system, and those who work with him breathe easy that things will run smoothly and the results will be accurate. The 2024 June Sprints Hoosier Super Tour was the largest in-season event with 555 entries, and Anger’s timing efforts supporting that event was a significant reason why T&S ran so smoothly. He has an exceptional knowledge of drivers and their cars, and is able to identify cars quickly.

One More Prize…

In addition to the prizes awarded to all 2024 SCCA Workers of the Year presented by Mazda, one randomly selected winner received an all-expense paid trip to a race weekend supported by Mazda. That reward went to Jamey Osborne.

Photos by Jon Krolewicz