As Wienermobile passes through KC, Missouri native relishes her time aboard
Don’t you wish you were an Oscar Mayer wiener? For Platte City native Raena Sinclair, it’s not something she wishes. It’s her full-time job.
Sinclair is one of 12 drivers of the Wienermobile, the hot dog-shaped vehicle that has driven nationwide since the 1930s. It’s so iconic that a model created in 1952 now sits at the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Dearborn, Michigan, and she drives from city to city in one of six Wienermobiles out at any moment.
She, along with co-pilot Trey O’Shea, take turns driving around from destination to destination in the 27-foot-long car, which is around 60 hot dogs long. They’re fresh meat, having only been on the road for two months, but they’ll spend the next 10 months as “Hotdoggers,” making promotional appearances at festivals, grocery stores and other events in cities they visit.
“It’s odd being in a familiar place behind the windshield of the Wienermobile because I’ve been so used to seeing all these unknown territories I’ve never been to,” Sinclair said.
“Relish Raena” and “Tailgate Trey” are in Kansas City for the week, where they’ve spent time at Scott’s Kitchen, owned by family friend Scott Umscheid, and will be at the Heart of America Hot Dog Festival Saturday, Aug. 9, at the National WWI Museum and Memorial. Friday, Aug, 8’s schedule brought them to Hy-Vee, 310 SW Ward Road in Lee’s Summit.
Drivers rarely get to take their job to their hometown, so Sinclair is relishing the opportunity to bring the Wienermobile to family and friends.
When Sinclair and O’Shea have some downtime during the week-long stay, she’s been showing him around Kansas City. She even brought the Wienermobile to Platte City and drove some of her family and friends around in the vehicle.
“That was an awesome moment that I will cherish forever,” Sinclair said. “Just to give a little piece of my life to my family and supporters that I’m constantly calling and texting about everything.”
Her job has taken her to St. Louis; Nashville; Oklahoma City; Dallas; Houston; Austin, Texas; and Memphis, Tennessee, in her first two months. At each stop on the tour, they interact with passersby, take family photos and hand out Wiener whistles. She even led a small group in singing the Oscar Mayer Wiener Jingle.
Some days, they’re allowed to let visitors take a peek inside the Wienermobile if the weather is cooperating.
It was not on Friday, when temperatures reached 95 degrees in the afternoon. It was cooler standing in the shade outside Hy-Vee than it was standing inside the parked car, which Sinclair said made it feel like you were a hot dog on the grill yourself.
How to become an Oscar Mayer Wienermobile driver
Oscar Mayer targets upcoming college graduates to be their Wienermobile drivers for one year. They look for graduates with backgrounds in journalism, marketing, public relations, communications or advertising, but you don’t need to have a degree in any of these fields to become a Hotdogger.
The company always recruits at least one University of Missouri-Columbia graduate for its yearly class, and it starts at an information session held on the college campus in January, where interested students can apply.
Sinclair, who graduated from Mizzou in May, showed up with a resume, cover letter and a flash drive with a hot dog-themed remix of Gwen Stefani’s 2004 classic song “Hollaback Girl,” complete with an accompanying music video.
She called it “Hollaback Bun,” and shared this lyric outside Hy-Vee on Friday: “I’m a ketchup connoisseur with the all-star flair, when you see the Wienermobile just know I’m there.”
After rounds of interviews, she got the call that she was selected out of 7,000 applicants in the country. Next came learning how to drive the Wienermobile, since it’s not your average ride.
Once the Hotdoggers complete the training course, which includes a two-hour trial across Madison, Wisconsin, they’re given the keys to the wheel and are able to start their journeys. The Wienermobile then becomes their primary mode of transportation.
Some challenges they face on the road are finding spaces to park the car and getting gas. The vehicle takes your standard 87 octane gasoline, and it can be a struggle to fit into gas stations. Sinclair said sometimes they’re approached by fans wanting to take pictures, which she’s more than happy to do, but said it can throw them off their tight schedule.
They’ll close out their time on the Missouri side of the Kansas City area with a stop at a Belton Hy-Vee, 1307 E. North Ave. They’ll be on the Kansas side Saturday, Aug. 16, at the Shawnee Farmer’s Market, 11110 Johnson Drive, You can track any of the Wienermobile’s upcoming stops online.
This story was originally published August 8, 2025 at 7:31 PM.
