“The first thing I thought [when they announced I won the 2025 SCCA® Worker of the Year Award Presented by Mazda for Emergency Services] was, THOSE GUYS!” says Milwaukee Region member Vicki Weinhold as she thinks back to when her name was called for the honor at the 2025 SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Road America. The recognition wasn’t something she expected, although after 35 years as a Club member doing exactly what she loves, it was long overdue.
“I had absolutely no clue,” she admits of when her name was announced at the Worker of the Year ceremony, adding that the crew she works with play a huge role in her dedication to the sport. “After all the decades we have worked together, they are the ones that keep me coming back. I wonder how many hours we logged together – not enough! I wouldn't give them up for anything. And they have some great stories, too.”
Her exposure to motorsports came in the 1980s, with her brother working as a wrecker operator at Road America. Vicki took his worker pass to get in. From there, it wasn’t a stretch to believe that one day, she, too, would be spending her time at the track.
Cars and machinery were a regular in her life. At the time, she was restoring a 1971 AMC Javelin with her brother’s assistance, and her day job was as a PIV (Powered Industrial Vehicle) operator, with training on forklifts and other heavy equipment. She also held numerous certifications, including First Responder/EMS, Firefighter I, Firefighter II, Flight for Life, and extrication.
“I started to work at Road America after taking the 1992 great fire and rescue school,” she says.
She eventually joined law enforcement – “I lean towards public service, I guess,” she admits. Therein, volunteering with Emergency Services at SCCA events was no stretch. “With my tendency of getting people out of trouble, it was a good fit. People say that I just like to drag things around,” she says.
That’s not to say she’s not tried her hand at other specialties at the track. “Yes,” she says, “I do F&C and Grid, too.”
If you’re thinking of jumping on the truck with Emergency Services, Vicki has some advice: “You have to know your way around the grounds,” she notes, adding, “and always be aware of your surroundings, especially during spectator weekends.”
Being aware of your surroundings also involves knowing when it’s time to have fun, which is exactly what happened at a Chicago Region June Sprints® event in the 1990s right after the Sports 2000 race had concluded.
“[The cars] were getting the checker and I was released to get a yellow S2 that won but ran out of fuel near Turn 11. I hooked him up and had to stop at Turn 12 – extrication in process at 13. I got out of my vehicle to inform the driver, who was on his radio stating, ‘Get the champagne, we'll bring it back to California.’ That's all I needed to hear. I got a checker flag out of my truck, got the Turn 12 corner workers, and we had our own victory circle. I took pictures, too! When the extrication was gone, I turned off the track at 13B, entering the paddock announcing, ‘We have a winner here!’ The spectators were applauding and he was waving that checker! Happy camper!”
Vicki is at the track, and you can join her. Learn how you, too, can go trackside at SCCA events by clicking here.
Photo courtesy Vicki Weinhold
