From the CDC to trackside at professional races – not the usual trajectory, sure, but it’s one that put SCCA Atlanta Region’s Joe Scavotto in the hot seat. A hot seat, it should be added, that Joe will be back in during IMSA’s Motul Petit Le Man at Road America on Oct. 8-11, 2025.
“I was working at the CDC here in Atlanta in 1984 and joined the CDC bowling league,” Joe explains. “One of the guys had an Atlanta Region SCCA shirt on and I asked him what that was all about. He said he was a corner worker and described what he did at the track. I was really intrigued and wanted to try it. There was a ‘crash and burn’ session at Road Atlanta shortly after, and I attended the course. I was immediately hooked and signed up.”
His journey from volunteering at Club-level SCCA Road Racing events to being trackside on the pro scene ramped fast. Like, if his journey were a line graph, it would be best described as a hockey stick.
“In 1984 at Road Atlanta, there was a Camel GT Series race (now IMSA) during the summer,” he says. “I worked maybe three Club races, then worked that pro event.”
Joe has worked as many as six pro races a year, spanning IMSA, IndyCar, Trans Am, and more. Recently, that’s dialed back to three pro events and five Club races per year.
Certain pro sanctioning bodies, like IMSA, partner with SCCA for worker credentialing, meaning if you want to be a marshal at events like IMSA’s upcoming Petit Le Mans, SCCA is the place to begin.
Exposure to the pro side of things has certainly had an impact on Joe’s outlook on local Club events. For one, he explains that working pro races causes you to be more on your toes at events – the pace, he says, is much more intense at pro races. Also, situational awareness is huge, with workers needing to anticipate problems around the track that may be coming their way.
There’s also the glitz and glamour of professional race weekends – although that comes with pressure. “In most cases, each series has some different flagging rules, and we all need to be on top of those differences,” he explains. “The pace is way faster than Club Racing, and it generates a rush of adrenalin as you're out there.”
Really, though, there’s something else that keeps Joe wearing his worker whites. “I have made so many friends from all over the U.S. by being in the SCCA and being a corner marshal,” he says. “I met a lot of these people at pro events I traveled to. I stay with them when I work there.”
Then there’s the feeling he gets by passing on his knowledge. “I pride myself on my experience, and what I can now teach to others who feel the same way I do,” he concludes. “I’m a retired program manager who had a large staff of work colleagues. I’ve taken the skills I've learned from that life and applied them to my current role as flag chief for Atlanta Region SCCA – I truly enjoy leading them. It has been a rewarding experience, for sure.”
Want to work trackside at Club or pro events like Joe? This webpage will tell you everything you need to know.
Photo Courtesy of IMSA
