The world of Flagging & Communications is littered with legends as honorable as Brian Redman’s cat or that Don Drennan was born as a 30-year-old man holding a double yellow flag — and some of those legends are even true. A few weeks back, a nearly forgotten group of young men came back to life with a social media post and a search for answers.
A gentleman by the name of Dan Do’bsan posted on a Facebook page asking about the origin of a cartoon sticker that was placed on his car at Road Atlanta around 2000 or 2001 during an SCCA® event. His co-driver had pulled off course with a mechanical failure in Turn 8, and when the car returned to the pits, the sticker was there. Twenty-three years later, the sticker remains on the IT car, but the meaning behind it has been lost.
Or was it?
Lost in the history books of what was either “just a few years back” or “a long time ago” in the late 1900s, a group of young men in the Atlanta area were anxious to play with race cars, keep drivers safe, stay up late, drink beer, and make memories — and the order they did any of those things in remains up for debate.
Enjoying the thrill of F&C (or in some cases, too broke to drive cars), the group could be found at SCCA and other pro races, holding flags and responding to incidents on the track. They took their responsibilities seriously; but they also took the lack of responsibility for most other parts of their life less seriously.
If a driver had an incident on track and pulled to the corner, rest assured this group of young men would be on the scene quickly. And yes, if said driver had an incident in the afternoon instead of first thing in the morning, it might be even quicker than that.
So what’s with the sticker and the legend?
This group of young men called themselves “Team Underdog,” and it was not unusual for a race car to be “tagged” with a sticker before it was sent back to the paddock on a tow truck. Some appreciated it; others appreciated the gesture slightly less than it was intended.
Only once, though, was the Team Underdog crew confronted in any serious way. When a professional race car returned to the paddock carrying extra weight, said team manager under the stress of the situation missed the humor. Team Underdog representatives calmly pointed out that, as corner marshals, they had arrived on foot while the professional driver had arrived at their station in a race car. Perhaps if the team manager was upset about the situation, he was upset at the wrong person?
Sadly, no one knows what happened to that group of young flaggers from the olden days. Some have claimed that a handful chased their dreams of #funwithcars, becoming autocross National Champions and road racing contenders. One of the wildest rumors claims that a baby-faced ginger grew up to become SCCA’s Senior Director of Rally/Solo and Experiential Programs, but that seems nearly impossible…
While most of those youngsters left the life of race car tagging behind, those unnamed members of Team Underdog remember the days fondly and the nights less. They will annually raise a glass, wherever they are, while searching for the next group of young disrupters who take the worker position seriously and want to introduce a level of fun to this generation of racers.
Who knows — at this weekend’s March 8-10, 2024, Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour at Road Atlanta, the next group of friends to take over a corner may be out there. The only question is, will they bring stickers?
Keep an eye out for those Flagging & Communications specialists at this weekend’s Hoosier Super Tour at Road Atlanta by following along at the track or at home at SCCA.com/live.
You can also watch the action via the live web stream on SCCA’s Road Racing Facebook page and SCCA’s YouTube channel. Check the event schedule and then tune in — much like with those Team Underdog stickers, it’s free!
(Looking for an inside line on the Club? “Inside the SCCA” is a podcast that features interviews with the Club’s leading personalities, but it’s not owned by SCCA®. Instead, it’s an independent media outlet managed by Rule 15 Productions and hosted by longtime SCCA member and journalist Brian Bielanski. He uses the Club’s name with permission, but without direction or influence from SCCA.)
On this week’s episode of the Inside the SCCA podcast, host Brian Bielanski connects with B-Spec racer Josh Schmidt. The two chat about what to expect during the March 8-10, 2024, Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour at Road Atlanta, as well as the art of building roll cages — after all, Schmidt’s business, Babyface Fabrication, is responsible for many of the roll cages found in the paddock.
Listen to the podcast below, or click here.
You can also watch the video version of the show below.
As has become tradition, the SCCA Women on Track Initiative is celebrating Women’s History Month by showcasing women from all across the SCCA during March. Some of these women blazed the path for others behind the wheel, while many have left their marks or continue to inspire women in leadership and support roles.
“There are an inspiring number of women involved in SCCA programs. We aim to highlight as many of them as possible during the month of March,” said Kelsey Karanges, chair of the SCCA Women on Track committee.
Daily posts will be made on the SCCA Women on Track Facebook Page, and a weekly wrap-up will be available on SCCA.com and the SCCA Women on Track webpage.
“We hope you will join us in honoring the women at your track, behind the wheel, and behind the scenes, and appreciate and thank them for all that they have done and continue to do,” said Karanges.
For questions about the SCCA Women on Track initiative or to get involved, visit their webpage. Submit your profile details or those of a woman in your life to be featured in future posts and showcases by filling out the form.
Jennifer Ferreira
New England Region | 10-year member | Road Racing, Trackside
Jennifer is an Active Road Racer and earned New England Region’s 2021 ITR Class Championship as well as “Worker of the Year” award that same year. She’s an active Region Board Member and Volunteer. She is proud to mentor young participants — both male and female — as volunteers and drivers. Jennifer says, “It is all about the fun, the community, the competition and where we go to have fun with cars.”
Jane Goodale
New England Region | 54-year member | Solo
Jane, along with her husband Bill, is a SCCA Hall of Fame member, inducted in 2020. Their role in the formation of the National Solo program has made an indelible impact on the attitude, community and sense of comradery that have become a hallmark of the discipline. Jane was New England Region’s Solo chair in the 70s, when that Region was just beginning to have a presence. For years before other Regions caught on, Jane hosted the region party at Solo Nationals. On one memorable occasion, runs continued in the rain and nearly after dark. Cold, wet and angry participants came into the party, but Jane turned multiple moods around in that Solo City tent.
Casandra Light
Atlanta Region | 4-year member | Time Trials, Road Racing, Solo
Casandra is a newer racer who has always had a lead foot but not a constructive way to have fun. She wanted to learn as much as she could and became involved with the Team Solo for the ATL Region helping with timing for events. Now, she has completed 2 seasons of autocross (one in a Corolla, other in a Nissan 350Z), learned to drive manual in 2022, as well as her first Time Trials in 2023 as her first competition series. Casandra says, “I have loved to meet all the women in Time Trials and Road Racing since my region doesn’t have any other women in the region that do those areas and only autocross and hope to keep contributing to the WOT committee for 2024.”
Nikole Harmony
New England Region | 3-year member | Trackside, Time Trials, Track Events
Nikole is a HPDE licensed driver, car enthusiast, play mechanic and ex Horse Jumping competitor. She has a love for all types of cars and takes pride in knowing models, years and trim packages for many European cars. She works at Summit Point during track days & events to support the sport, while keeping tabs on woman Road Racers. According to Nikole, “SCCA presents an exciting Road Racing organization for all to enjoy. Promotes the sport and encourages many people/women to get on the track. Someday I hope to perhaps become employed in some way in the racing organization, team or shop.”
Patc Henry
Nebraska Region | 61-year member | Trackside
After being Nebraska Region’s first female Regional Executive in the 70s, in 1984, she was tabbed by the National Office as the Series Manager for Sports Renault and tasked with leading the new pro series. Her work with Sports Renault, the Playboy Endurance Series, Corvette Challenge, Neon Cup and more stabilized SCCA’s pro racing division and helped to launch the careers of hundreds of professional racers. At a brainstorming session for the next evolution of production car racing, it was PatC who suggested the name “World Challenge.” During her time in pro racing, she was also able to help Enterprises turn a profit — and in doing so, infamously proved to Pete Hylton that “pigs could fly.” Established as a stalwart of the national sports car racing scene, PatC’s love for Club Racing – and a not so gentle nudge by Nick Craw — brought her back across the building as the head of Club Racing. In addition to PatC’s regular duties, that left her in charge of a monumental task — moving the Runoffs from its established location at Road Atlanta to Mid-Ohio. While that may seem commonplace in today’s world, it was an unprecedented SCCA move at the time, and came with the fears and worries that often accompany such a shake up in the Club. History proves the move and the transition was a successful one. The Runoffs thrived at Mid-Ohio, with car counts higher than they’d ever been on a yearly basis. PatC and her staff left the Runoffs in stable hands for the next generation of leaders.
Olivia Hammac
St. Louis Region | 8-year member | Solo, Road Racing
Olivia started autocrossing at Hawaii Region’s junior kart program at age eight. Since then, she has won two Solo National Championships. In 2019 she was the first female to win in Formula Junior B, and later that year was one of five finalists for Sports Kid of the Year by Sports Illustrated Magazine. When the SCCA junior kart program ended, she continued to compete in the Florida Kart Series amassing many wins to include an invitation to the CKNA Karting Nationals. Olivia returned to autocross earning another Solo National Championship just two months after getting her driver’s license and at age 16. Now she has her sights on Club Racing and Time Trials. Olivia says that, “SCCA has been an amazing part of my racing journey, providing invaluable experiences and support. I am truly grateful for the countless individuals who have helped, coached, and mentored me along the way. I have been inspired and encouraged by so many SCCA women. Their guidance has helped me in my journey, and I look forward to the continued excitement and growth in my racing pursuits.”
Nancy Martyn
Texas Region |19-year member | Trackside
Nancy Joined SCCA briefly in 1993 while working for the Denver Grand Prix, to race in a one-time event titled “Women In Racing” which was the highlight of her career. In 2000, she took a job in racing supply and spent the remainder of her years working at the tracks, as well as volunteering in Registration as much as she could. She also served on the Board of Texas Region for several years. After retiring from my job, she continued to volunteer and crew for my guy. “SCCA has been my life for the past 22 years. It started in 1990 working for the Denver Grand Prix and ending with marrying a racer and retiring,” said Nancy. “SCCA has given me so much joy and fun, being a part of an amazing group of people. My real job gave me the opportunity to get to know so many wonderful people on and off the track, being at the track for every event. SCCA became a part of my life, a part of a family.”
