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SALT LAKE CITY — Miller Racing, based in Salt Lake City, had hoped to finish off the 2012 SCCA Pirelli World Challenge Championship season with a strong performance at Sonoma Raceway (formerly known as Infineon Raceway) on August 25.
Sadly, however, the weekend resulted in a multi-car, early-race crash involving Miller Racing's No. 23 Ford Mustang Boss 302S, sponsored by the Larry H. Miller Dealerships, the Ford Racing High Performance Driving School and Miller Motorsports Park, with preparation by Rehagen Racing.
Roger Miller was optimistic going into Saturday's season finale. He had his best qualifying effort of the year - second among the Mustangs and ninth overall. His clutch overheated on the grid waiting for the standing start and he fell back initially, but quickly worked his way up to seventh in class, along with other drivers who had fallen back at the start.
Going into Turn 11 - a hairpin turn and the final turn of the circuit - on Lap 7 of the 28-lap event, a following car dove inside the Miller Racing Boss 302S and hit the car ahead of Miller. Having broken its steering, the "dive-bombing" car then hit Miller, breaking the left-rear axle and ending Miller's day.
"Whenever you're involved in an incident, it's disappointing," he said. "This weekend's outcome was more disappointing than usual. It's particularly disheartening after all the hard work put in by Rehagen Racing to bring a fast car to the track, and in light of the improved performance of the Boss 302S after the series officials allowed us to use a larger air restrictor."
Roger's son, Braden Miller, had his second outing of the year in the Touring Car B-Spec class, driving the team's No. 09 Ford Fiesta sponsored by the Ford Racing High Performance Driving School and Miller Motorsports Park. Braden competed in two races, with mixed results. His car suffered electrical issues in the first race, causing him to finish three laps down to the winner. However, in the second race he got a great start, drove well and was able to finish fourth in class.
"I had a great time racing out at Sonoma," said Braden Miller. "After some technical difficulties during the first race, we got the car running back at potential for the last little bit of the first race and all of the second race. I was just happy for the opportunity to compete in what was one of my favorite races that I've participated in yet. I'm hoping that next year I'll be able to make it out for more races, with a little bit more practice in a B-Spec car under my belt."
"I was really pleased with Braden's performance," said Roger Miller. "I know he was disappointed in his first race, but it was fun to watch him battle from flag to flag in the second race. I was unable to be there for his series debut at Miller Motorsports Park in April, so this was a particular treat. Watching him made me think of my dad, Larry H. Miller, without whom none of this would have been possible. My love of cars and racing came from him, and we put the No. 09 on Braden's car because my dad always wore the No. 9 on his uniform when he was a professional softball player as a young man. We miss him, and I'm sure he would have been very proud of Braden this weekend."
Although the team's plans for 2013 are still unclear, Roger Miller said that participating in the SCCA Pirelli World Challenge Championship was a great experience.
"We learned a lot," he said. "As a team, and certainly for myself and Braden as drivers, it was a huge learning experience. This is a very, very tough series, and the competitors are outstanding. We had our struggles at times, but we also had some great, memorable moments that we will never forget. I think we did pretty well for a first-year team in a professional championship, and the future looks bright.
"We had tremendous support from our sponsors - the Larry H. Miller Dealerships, the Ford Racing High Performance Driving School and Miller Motorsports Park, and it was a privilege to represent them on the track. We also have to thank Dean Martin and the crew from Rehagen Racing, who maintained our cars, repaired our damage and always allowed us to feel confident and safe when we strapped into the seat. They were terrific, and we couldn't have done it without them."
Both races at Sonoma Raceway will be live-streamed online at www.World-ChallengeTV.com. The races will be broadcast by NBC Sports Network in a 90-minute program scheduled for 3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, September 9.
For more information on Miller Racing, visit the team's website at www.MillerRacing.com. Fans are invited to follow the team at Facebook: www.facebook.com/roger.miller158 or on Twitter: @millerracingUT.
(Photo Caption: The season finale for Roger Miller and the No. 23 Miller Racing Ford Mustang Boss 302S, which is sponsored by the Larry H. Miller Dealerships, the Ford Racing High Performance Driving School and Miller Motorsports Park, with preparation by Rehagen Racing, was a disappointing end to the season after a Lap-7 accident ended the team's weekend early. Photo courtesy Miller Racing / Jeremy Henrie)
