Drag Illustrated Issue 148, September 2019 | Page 30

Dirt
It’s Miller
Time
G
rowing up in the small Con-
necticut town of Wallingford, Ja-
mie Miller had big dreams about
what he hoped he could do in
drag racing.
As a top crew chief across a variety of classes
these days, that goal has been more than met,
but here’s a number to perfectly indicate just
how in-demand Miller is these days – 185,000.
That’s the incredible number of miles Miller flew
last year as a crew chief, tuning cars for what he
estimates was 42 weeks out of the year. His tuning
expertise has taken him to Sweden, Bahrain and
Australia, further proof that whatever his original
dream was, he’s surpassed it and then some.
“To be out here, it’s unbelievable,” Miller says. “I
remember watching guys like Rickie Smith, just
wanting to be a part of it. If I could ever race with
guys like that, it would be awesome. We’re on the
road a lot, but this is like the ultimate deal. It’s a
much better day that just sitting in an office. It’s
really unbelievable to make a living doing this.”
After spending time as a chassis fabricator,
Miller joined the Pro Line Racing team in 2011
as a tuner.
Before that, he also served as the crew chief on
Jason Enos’ Outlaw 10.5 car. The team consulted
with Steve Petty, and as Miller built a good re-
lationship with Petty, the opportunity with Pro
Line soon came.
Since then, Miller has established himself
as a jack-of-all trades tuner. He’s well-known
for his tuning prowess on Michael Biehle’s Pro
Mod Mustang on the NHRA Pro Mod circuit, but
Miller is as diverse as they get.
He works on drag radial cars owned by the
likes of Ken Quartuccio, cars in Outlaw 632 and
more. No matter the power adder, Miller can
put together a winning package, an aspect that’s
helped him immensely along the way.
“In doing that, it’s helped me become a lot more
well-rounded,” Miller says. “The more you work
on multiple cars, the more you see all the little
things. You’re trying to nitpick through the whole
and when you’re able to do that, the result is a
faster ET and more MPH.”
Being well-rounded when it comes to differ-
ent types of cars has paid dividends, but there’s
things Miller is always looking for, no matter the
power adder.
“I’ve learned it’s all about power management,”
Miller says. “You can have different combinations,
but power management and learning how to
decipher wheel speed and the G-meter is key.
You’re just trying to get the car to accelerate as
fast as you can.
“For example, if you’re running a nitrous car on
radials and a turbo car on radials, there’s plenty
of things that go hand in hand. It doesn’t matter
the power adder, you’re trying to make the tire
stick to the track with no spin.”
Miller loves the challenge and he’s thrived in
nearly every area. Some of it comes from Miller’s
expertise, experience and willingness to learn as
well. But there’s also an intense desire to win, and
it’s an infectious part of the entire Pro Line team.
It becomes evident on every team Miller works
with, and it’s a mindset that brings out the best
in him as well.
“I’m just like the guys I’m spending a lot of time
with and I have the same drive as they do,” Miller
says. “When it comes down to it, I want to win
just as bad as they do. I’ve worked on customers’
cars that had multiple people work on it and not
be successful, so when you take something that’s
been a struggle for a big group of people and make
it fast and competitive, that’s super gratifying.”
Biehle and Miller have been an impressive duo,
starting with their success in the NMCA and
PDRA. They made the leap to the NHRA Pro
Mod ranks, taking on the immense challenge in
the class. There’s been ups and downs, but Miller
has enjoyed the thrill of competing with the elite
in the class. He tuned Biehle’s new Mustang to a
career-best 5.690 at Gainesville to open the year,
and they’ll look to make an impact at Indy to start
the final stretch of the 2019 season.
It’s that challenge that brings out the best in
him, which also makes him a perfect fit alongside
the other talented tuners at Pro Line.
“The class keeps evolving and it keeps getting
harder and harder,” Miller believes. “Qualifying
feels like winning the biggest race of the year. It’s
crazy. Winning the first round is a feat in itself.
It’s so difficult, but it’s very rewarding.
“I’m just lucky to be where I’m at. All this data
and strategies we’ve accumulated, it’s helped ev-
erybody on the team. It’s a close-knit group and
that’s important. We have a common goal and
that’s to get every car competitive. We’re all very
much driven by success and I’m as competitive
as anyone on the property.”
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I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
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Issue 148
Be it nitrous-assisted radial cars
or turbocharged Pro Mods, Jamie
Miller is up for the challenge
By Josh Hachat