Amy ’04 and Tom Volk ’75 don’t think of themselves as pioneers. They are just two members of a team doing something they love — with a new twist, which began Feb. 3 at 1 p.m. when the green flag dropped on the “Rolex 24 At Daytona.”

Tom Volk, owner of Toledo-based TRV Motorsport, was one of the drivers in the “Rolex 24 At Daytona” while his daughter, Amy, was a key member of his crew.

They have worked together in past races, but never before has Amy played such an integral role.

For the first time in a 24-hour race, she served as the pit crew strategist, handling timing and scoring responsibilities for a 20-member team of drivers and crew members.

She also instructed drivers on how to stretch a few extra miles out of their gas tanks and when to pull in for a refueling.

“I can pretty much guarantee no other 19-year-olds are out there doing that (Amy’s job), and there may be only one or two other females who are involved in that capacity with other teams,” said Tom, who owns six businesses in four states.

TRV Motorsports has been in existence since 1989, competing in SCCA Regional Racing, SCCA National Racing, Trans-Am Championship Racing and World Sports Car Racing.

In recent years, the Volks have turned their attention full-time to the challenges of endurance racing in the Grand American Road Racing series, and they have competed in the Daytona race the last four years.

Last year, the team finished seventh in the SR class at Daytona en route to a 14th place finish (out of 85 teams) in the overall series, which includes stops throughout the United States and Canada.

Amy has been involved with her father’s racing teams in some capacity for as long as she can remember, and her brother, David, a Heidelberg College senior, also works as a member of the crew.

She started out doing food preparation for the crew, no small task considering that the endurance races don’t simply involve the actual competition but several days of additional behind-the-scenes efforts before and after, too.

Amy then moved up to assistant strategist at the 12 Hours of Sebring and later called the shots at the Watkins-Glen and Mid-Ohio.
As the pit crew strategist at the Rolex 24, Amy had hoped to continue to keep track of pit stops, maintain a schedule for pit crew workers and drivers, note any problems with the car, and time everything for maximum efficiency — the same activities she performed during the practice runs.

However, after just three laps around the 3.56-mile Daytona oval, the No. 95 Riley & Scott Mk III blew an engine, forcing the team out of the race.

“We had the best driver lineup we ever had, and to drop out after lap three was very disappointing,” Amy said.

Despite the defeat, Amy, who also joined her dad as team manager for the three-hour Nextel 250 on March 1-3, said she is excited about next year.

“I love it ... being involved in auto racing is what I enjoy doing best,” said the Wittenberg management major. “It’s a thrill. There are 20 other people on the team, so it’s an enormous job getting everything together.

One of the coolest things I’ve ever experienced is when the checkered flag goes down.” Amy’s contributions to her father’s pit crew haven’t gone unnoticed outside of their team, either.

Lyn St. James, the first female driver to finish an Indianapolis 500, has talked about including Amy on her pit crew at some point.“Sitting in the pits is incredibly exhilarating,” Amy said.

“You just have all of this talent and everyone’s working together, and it’s awesome.”