Road America has been commemorating its 70th anniversary throughout 2025 in various ways. Most certainly, the Sept. 29 through Oct. 5 SCCA® National Championship Runoffs® Presented by Sunoco is part of that celebration in Wisconsin.
An equally momentous anniversary at this year’s Runoffs belongs to Wayne and Pat Foss from Iowa. Sure, the duo is celebrating 25 years of membership since officially joining Sports Car Club of America™ back in 1980, but the couple from SCCA’s Chicago Region is also celebrating 50 years of marriage that very much includes a history with America’s National Park of Speed.
The story begins in the late 1960s when Wayne started watching sports car races as a fan at Road America. In the early 1970s, he dragged along then girlfriend, Pat, to enjoy the Chicago Region June Sprints® at the storied circuit. Later in the ‘70s, Wayne fortuitously came across a coworker that was an SCCA Steward. They talked auto racing for a bit before Wayne was invited to volunteer at a Blackhawk Farms Raceway weekend in Illinois. Wayne accepted the offer, and brought his new wife, Pat, along for the adventure.
Pat recalls her thought at the time was, “I liked the outdoors, and this was something to do with Wayne. So, I said ‘OK, let’s do it.’ Stupid me, I froze to death that weekend but came back and did it again.”
While both Wayne and Pat spent some time in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s competing in autocross, the bulk of their #funwithcars has been dedicated to volunteering at SCCA Road Racing events. In fact, the couple were co-recipients in 2021 of Worker of the Year honors for Start.
The Starter’s Stand is where you’ll find them once again at this year’s Runoffs. However, SCCA Central Division drivers already know this couple well. Whether it be a driver school or Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour weekend – from Road America to Blackhawk Farms or Autobahn Country Club – they’ve been a dependable presence and valued entity in so many ways.
“We got married in ’75 and have not missed a June Sprints since,” Wayne noted.
Flagging corners is where Wayne and Pat began their SCCA adventure. They’ve also spent time in Race Control, Timing & Scoring, and more. Start Stand responsibilities came later, but the voyage built both knowledge and experience along the way.
“We are not special,” Wayne strongly noted when asked about Starter duties. “We are just like all the other volunteers on corners.”
Pat added, “We’re exactly like a corner, but we have a few extra things that the corners don’t do.”
SCCA weekends offered the couple an opportunity to build a whole host of friendships with other volunteers. Those friendships are what keep Wayne and Pat coming back to this very day. Every weekend is another chance for evenings filled with frivolity, laughter, and no shortage of good-natured ribbing around the grill or campfire.
“We have a lot of fun memories,” Pat said. “The camping, the racing, bringing other people up to the races, friends that we made at the races … we’ve got a lot of fond memories together. Even though it has been a lot of work getting ready for those races, unpacking and repacking, we’ve done it all together.”
Get Into the Sport
SCCA is a Club and works hard to open up options for anyone who loves having #funwithcars. While drivers competing for Summit Racing Equipment SCCA Road Racing Program Championships are center stage this week at the Runoffs, there are hundreds of volunteers in action, too, taking advantage of a myriad of opportunities to be involved.
At any SCCA event anywhere in the country, there are countless members acting as motorsports artisans crafting an experience that ensures races run smoothly and safely. They also get up close to the action, often mingling with drivers and getting exceptional access to fantastic cars. SCCA members can be found in Registration, the Control Tower, Tech, on Grid, Flagging corners, and nearly everywhere else around a circuit.
Interested in learning more? Just walk up to an SCCA Volunteer at any event and say “hello.” They’ll be happy to clue you in on how to get involved. A bunch more information can be found by clicking the link below.
Photo: Pat and Wayne Foss atop the Starter’s Stand at Road America during the 2025 SCCA National Championship Runoffs
Photo by Andy Howe
