SPEEDWAY, Ind. (WISH) — Whether it’s helping you get on your way, or getting you out of the way for the racers to get through —the “Yellow Shirts” at Indianapolis Motor Speedway help run the show.

Also known as the Safety Patrol, they are all volunteers. One husband and wife team have been fixtures at the track for nearly two decades.

Ken and Pam Lemmon came to their first Indy 500 17 years ago. They’re the masterminds behind the patrol crews that work around the garage and pits.

From late April to October, the Lemmons live out of their RV at the track campgrounds. They say their time working has given them a second home.

“This is our family, really,” Pam Lemmon said. “I like staying busy. I like talking to everyone.”

Following Ken’s retirement, the couple made their first trip to IMS to watch Indy 500 practice.

“We’ve seen the ‘Yellow Shirts’ having a great time,” Ken Lemmon said. “We thought, ‘Wow, that’d be fun to be part of the program.’”

Both help other “Yellow Shirts” get started for the day by checking them in, assigning them jobs, and handing them the tools they need to keep the crowds safe.

Pam has done a little bit of everything.

“We worked Gasoline Alley the first few years, we really enjoyed that so much. Then they wanted me to go up to the pagoda.”

During his time at the track, Ken has helped escort the coveted Borg-Warner Trophy, protecting it as it makes its way around the track.

“[It’s a] phenomenal atmosphere,” Ken said. “The history — There’s just so much history. Everybody I run into has a story, which is awesome to hear.”

They’ve done such a good job throughout the years, that they’ve been asked to work other IMS events and at other racetracks across the country.

“I like being friends with everyone,” Pam said. “We just have a good time.”

This year, Ken and Pam will also travel to work the NASCAR Street Race in Chicago and a couple of events in Las Vegas.

Interested in becoming a Yellow Shirt? Click here to learn more and apply.