JOHN K. MILLER SEEKS ELUSIVE WIN IN TRI-CITY THUNDERCARS
by Brian Spaid

July 8, 2007 

   Sometimes racing isn’t about the age of the competitors. In fact, when you’re young at heart, you can do anything.

   Oil City racer John K. Miller is truly young at heart. At 59, Miller is a down-to-earth man that simply loves to race at Tri-City Speedway. For him, it has not always been about winning.

   “I started racing in the Pro Stocks in 1998,” recalled Miller. “I did it to relax away from my old job driving an over-the-road truck. I used to go to Tri-City before it closed in the 1980s, and I always said if it reopened I wanted to race.”

   Starting out in Pro Stocks, Miller became an icon at the track because he was the first driver to compete in a pickup truck. His Ford F150 was no match for the faster cars, but it didn’t matter to him. He had fun, and the fans loved to watch him race.

   “They said we could have trucks in he Pro Stocks, and I was the first one to build one. They are fun to drive. I’ve never driven a sprint car, but I bet they drive like that old truck did.”

   Full of wit and love for life, Miller tells funny stories about his times behind the wheel. One time, the truck took a bad rollover off turn four. The fans went silent when Miller started tumbling because the truck always appeared to look unstable. It wasn’t. Miller is always safety conscious. While everyone else stared in awe, Miller was having a blast inside.

   “I knew the flip was coming when the wreck started. I shut off the motor and watched myself rollover,” laughed Miller. “It was actually kind of fun. Today, though, if I can put it back on the truck without tearing it up, that’s a good night.”

   Teamed with his sons John II and Andy, Miller fielded a three-car team, but their low budget operation could not be competitive with the Pro Stocks. In 2004, one year after the Thundercar division started, Miller and his sons moved down to that division. Running for no purse money, just a trophy to the winner, was different for Miller, but he doesn’t mind.

   “I like the Thundercars. The class makes it easier for a guy like me to race with little money. I think they need to keep them stock though. If it’s a Ford drive a Ford. If it’s a Chevy, drive a Chevy. Some guys are talking about buying specially manufactured racing parts. Some guys are putting more money in their motors than they need to. I take a motor directly out of a car and put it in the race car. I think the Thundercars need to be a stock division other than any necessary safety needs.”

   Despite his criticism of the big spenders, Miller, who is a sales clerk at the Advance Auto Parts store in Franklin, enjoys racing his Thundercar foes.

   “The camaraderie out there is good and I seem to get along with most of them. We have a good group of guys. I want to race fair, and I think most of the guys agree that I’m a clean racer.  I don’t want to have to work on my car because of a crash, and I don’t think those guys want to either. But my wife wants me to cut back because she’d like us to spend more time together.”

   Knowing his racing days will come to an end at some point in the future, Miller wants to win at least one race. His best finish ever came in a truck division race at Hummingbird Speedway near Reynoldsville, when he finished second. At Tri-City, Miller recollects that his best result in the Pro Stocks and Thundercars combined was seventh.

   “It bugs me that I haven’t won,” said a candid Miller. “I want to win before I hang it up. I’d really like to get a heat race win at least. I want to get the car faster. We blew up our good motor last year, and I don’t have the money to get it fixed. I want to win bad.”

   With that goal in mind, Miller has enlisted a lot of help this season. Former Thundercar winner Wearne Cook of Cooperstown and his father, Cookie, have helped Miller with setups, and Cook drove Miller’s car a couple of times. On Tuesday night, Miller put Pro Stock racer Matt Thomas in the car for some advice.

   “Wearne kind of misses driving.  I’ve let him drive it and we pick each others brains, although I pick his more than he does me. Wearne and his dad, Cookie, have helped me a lot. Matt had a blast driving the car the other night. He’s given me some setup advice.”

   Currently, Miller drives a Dodge Mirada while his son, Andy, pilots a Ford LTD. For 2008, Miller is already planning on the return of two trucks, a 1979 Chevrolet and a 1979 Dodge.

   “We are also building a car for my granddaughter, Audrey,” noted Miller. “She’ll be 16 and we’re going to put her in a bigger car, probably a Mercury Grand Marquis with some extra safety bars. I get nervous watching my sons drive. It’ll be interesting when my granddaughter goes out there.”

   The Miller clan certainly has fun at Tri-City, and it looks like they’ll be around for years to come. And the fans will cheer loudly when the family patriarch, John K. Miller, finally achieves his dream of victory.

   Miller’s sponsors include Dr. Susen Miller Rossino, Ted Rossino Photography, and Rick Bowler Insurance of Seneca, Advance Auto Parts and O’Polka & Company of Franklin, Warm Home and Hearth of Pleasantville, Miller’s Wood and Craft of Oil City, and Cook’s Garage of Cooperstown.