Take a look at the original sentence again:

Tracy always knows the right answer in English class but is too shy to volunteer whenever Miss Simmons asks a question, Tracy's hand feels as if it weighs 1,000 pounds.

You wanted to fix it this way:

Tracy always knows the right answer in English class but is too shy to volunteer, whenever Miss Simmons asks a question, Tracy's hand feels as if it weighs 1,000 pounds.

To add a comma between volunteer and whenever would create an equally bad problem, a comma splice. A comma splice occurs when you have two complete sentences joined with a comma alone. Tracy always knows the right answer in English class but is too shy to volunteer is the first complete sentence. Whenever Miss Simmons asks a question, Tracy's hand feels ... begins the second complete sentence. The spot between volunteer and whenever needs a stronger break than a wimpy comma.

You might want to consult the rules for fixing comma splices and fused sentences.

Go back to the sentence to try again.

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