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SALT LAKE CITY -- Miller Racing emerged from the first event of its full-season campaign in the Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge series on Friday, January 27, with mixed emotions after posting an 18th- place finish.
Team owner Roger Miller qualified the No. 158 Miller Racing Ford Mustang Boss 302R sponsored by Larry H. Miller Dealerships, Miller Motorsports Park and the Ford Racing High Performance Driving School in 27th spot in a field of 81 cars comprised of 41 Grand Sports class entries and 40 Sports Touring class entries.
Miller drove the opening stint in the two-hour race in a light rain, smartly moving up through the field to sixth place before pitting on Lap 14 of the 58-lap race and handing the car over to co-driver Ian James. With the rain having subsided, James worked his way up through the field to fourth place on Lap 36 before being hit in the rear bumper in an on-track incident, which sent the car to the pits for repairs and deep into the field.
Following repairs, James soldiered back up through the field to finish 18th. It wasn't the result the team wanted, but there were positives to be gained from the experience.
"All things considered, I am fairly pleased with our result," said Miller. We showed fairly well until late in the race when Ian was 'bumped' from behind. I felt like I did pretty well in the first stint, most of which was in a light rain. Ian did a fantastic job of getting back up through the field to finish 18th. Now I'm even more excited about this season!"
"The first race was a roller coaster of fortune," said James after the race. "Roger did an excellent first stint in tricky conditions and kept us in the mix. We got as high as fourth and then dropped to the back with an unscheduled pit stop, but we learned some lessons and we will for sure come back faster and stronger for Round 2!"
Miller also enjoyed a special treat the following day. Prior to the start of the 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 at Daytona, he drove the Ford GT40 Mk II (chassis no. P-1015) that won the very first 24-hour race at Daytona in 1966 (previous races were shorter distances). The car, which is housed in the Larry H. Miller Total Performance Museum at Miller Motorsports Park, was invited to participate in the "24 Minutes of Daytona" historic tribute featuring previous race winners from the legendary event.
"That was quite a moment, getting to drive such an historic car on the high banks at Daytona, and I got to have my mother ride along, which made it that much more special," Miller said. "The event was organized by Tim Pendergast of Historic Sportscar Racing, and he did an amazing job pulling together 29 of the 50 previous race- winning cars and 21 of the race-winning drivers. It was an honor to participate, and we very much appreciate being invited to take part."
Miller Racing now returns to its base at Miller Motorsports Park to prepare for Round 2 of the Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge series, which will take place at Barber Motorsports Park outside Birmingham, Ala., on March 30. Live timing and scoring during all on- track sessions will be available at www.Grand- Am.com.
The Daytona race will be broadcast on a tape-delayed basis at 12:00 p.m. EST on Sunday, February 4, on SPEED.
For more information on Miller Racing, visit the team's website at www.MillerRacing.com.
Photo Caption: Miller Racing team owner Roger Miller (right) poses with his mother, Gail Miller, before taking to the high banks of Daytona International Speedway on January 28, 2012, for an exhibition of cars that have won the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona during the event's 50th Anniversary Celebration. This car, Ford GT40 Mk II chassis number P-1015, won the 1966 24 Hours of Daytona. It was the first time that the race distance was 24 hours in length. The car belongs to the Larry H. Miller Total Performance Museum collection at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. (Photo courtesy Miller Racing / Margie Gerard).
