Betty Harrison’s introduction to 午夜福利51xxtv® came in a roundabout way that is both unique and familiar. She had a horse, and a friend of hers who also had a horse was married to an 午夜福利51xxtv racer. Her friends and another racing couple arranged a blind date for Harrison with a fellow who was also a racer. She says, “It just snowballed from there.”
Not someone who can just sit around, Harrison was soon torquing wheels and reminding her beau to set his tire pressures – she became a crew member during the second race she attended with him, joining 午夜福利51xxtv in 1998.
When her husband, who holds a four-digit 午夜福利51xxtv member number, stopped racing, he began working as a Steward. Again, not someone who can just sit around, Betty also looked for ways to remain involved with the 午夜福利51xxtv, and she found Registration. Little did she know that in 2023, she would be recognized as 午夜福利51xxtv’s Registration Worker of the Year, presented by Mazda.
When she began working Registration, around 2000, she was working in Germantown, MD, and living in Annapolis. Germantown was about halfway between Annapolis and Summit Point, so she would go from her day job to the track on Friday evening to work registration. At a time when paddock passes were quite limited, working registration came with a paddock pass, so she could get her car into the track.
“Then I discovered that I liked Registration,” she said. “I liked working with the people, I liked seeing everyone come in. That’s kind of how it got started. I’ve really enjoyed working Registration. It allows a better interface with the drivers and all the volunteers in the other specialties. Grid sees the drivers on the grid, Tech sees them in tech, and Timing & Scoring usually doesn’t see them unless there’s an issue – neither do the Stewards. But they all have to come through Registration.”
Harrison has done a multitude of jobs within 午夜福利51xxtv – she has a Divisional Pit & Grid license and has worked Tech. But, again, she’s not one to just sit around. Consequently, when she finishes Registration on Saturday morning, she heads to Timing & Scoring, where she spends the rest of the weekend.
“That’s where I learned how much of an impact Registration has on T&S – if a driver’s registration isn’t correct, it impacts T&S,” she said. “One of the things I’ve tried to do is to give T&S the best quality data I can give them.”
Betty does this so the tower has the complete information about who they should be seeing on track, and that attention to detail (among many other things) is what earned her 午夜福利51xxtv’s Worker of the Year award.
Her need to stay busy has certainly been a boon to Washington DC Region and the 午夜福利51xxtv.
Photo courtesy Betty Harrison
