SCCA 2022 RACE ADMINISTRATION WORKER OF THE YEAR

Sam Fouse, North Carolina Region

Sam Fouse joined SCCA in July 1976 when driver and journalist Bill King “twisted my arm.” Fouse was an active autocrosser who loved racing and the people he met “It was fun with cars, but the people part was (and still is) the reason I stay.

Autocrossing led him to become the North Carolina Region Solo Chair, a position he held until he went to a Driver’s School in 1983. He then became a road racer, competing in GT-4, GT-L, and GT-3.

To say that Fouse has been active in North Carolina Region would be an understatement. As well as being a competitor, he has flagged, worked Emergency and Grid, instructed at Driver’s Schools, and crewed. In 2014, he was “drafted” to be a member of the Region Board and he served as the Regional Executive from 2016 to 2019, retiring after the first Runoffs at VIR.

But he still wasn’t done: He volunteered to be the Region’s treasurer in 2021.

“The Region admin thing came about, as do most things at the Regional level, because ‘somebody’s got to do it,’ and I had experience as a driver, worker and past RE,” Fouse explained.

Asked why he continues to volunteer, Fouse said, “I still love racing and everything about it-especially the people. I semi-retired from my full-time career in 2016, but you still have to have a reason to get up in the morning. The people, the cars, the racing are all part of that for me. I feel most alive while I’m racing, working a race, or just being at the track. “I’m also involved with a couple of committees at the National level which allows me the opportunity to help the club and its members into the future.”

His message to his driver friends? “Nothing happens in SCCA unless someone volunteers. Contribute!”

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This was originally printed in the July/August 2023 issue of SportsCar magazine, written by J. Michael Hemsley