ROSSBURG, OH: While other drivers were doing post-race interviews, signing autographs, or talking to fellow competitors Friday night at Eldora Speedway, Parker Price-Miller was in the darkest area of the pit area.
It wasn’t like Price-Miller was trying to avoid a crowd or taking time for himself after a bad run. The Indiana driver was still working, using the track hydro-spray to wash dirt and mud off the car before prepping it for Saturday’s Kings Royal.
This practice isn’t foreign to Price-Miller. He’s done it for the better part of his career in Sprint Car racing. The only difference is that he was doing it in a dual role as a driver-crew chief for his own team.
Such an undertaking isn’t the norm for a successful Sprint Car team, but Price-Miller is getting a handle on it. So much so, that he has shown plenty of speed over the last month and continues to record respectable finishes against the big teams employing experienced crew chiefs turning the wrenches.
“It’s good,” Price-Miller said. “There are pros and cons. I mean, luckily, I have Hayden Warrington with me … he’s a New Zealander. I met him at Chili Bowl, and we worked well there, and he wanted to come over and work for a Sprint Car team.
“We had Bernie [Stuebgen] earlier this year, and it was no hard feelings. We just decided to go our own separate ways. I was kind of doing it on my own, and I wasn’t really trusting my calls, and now, me and Hayden do it together, and we are on the same page.”
Continued Price-Miller, “He kind of lets me focus on racing instead of just on the racecar. We are still both making the calls, but if we’re good, he will tell me to just, ‘Shut up, just drive, we’re fine.’ I need that, too, but it’s been good.
“I’ve been learning a lot about the racecar and what I need. When you are really good, it’s great. When you’re bad, you are bouncing your head off the wall. With how well we have been running, I’ve enjoyed it, and it’s very rewarding.”
It’s worked over the last month and continued in Friday’s Knight Before the Kings Royal at Eldora Speedway. Price-Miller timed seventh in the 62-car field, which is no surprise considering it’s been a strong suit of his since he first hopped in a car.
But Price-Miller wasn’t done there. He raced his way into the Dash and was up to third in the main event before slipping back a bit in the last 10 laps to nail down a sixth-place result in the final rundown.
The run wasn’t a surprise. Price-Miller has been sporty over the last month and a half, ripping off top-five finishes in High Limit competition and against the World of Outlaws at Knoxville Raceway.
“We got up to third, and I thought we were going to win for a second,” Price-Miller said. “We found a really good baseline that fits us, and it’s easy to do the same thing every night. We change here and there, but yeah, consistency is the name of the game.
“Tonight, we were just a little off. We came in and were both frustrated we ran sixth. I’m thinking, ‘Man, there are 60 cars, and we ran sixth, battling Rico and Gravel for the win with 10 laps to go. You can’t be that mad.’
“We were just a little frustrated how much we faded the last 15 laps, but we will work on it. I’m 26, and Hayden is 21, and we are very new to this step in our life. With how well we are doing, it makes both of us very proud. Hopefully, we can stay together and keep running our own team and building off this.”
Making the right decisions as a car-owner have impacted Price-Miller’s recent success, as well. Most teams, at this point in the season, have the mantra of, “Just Race. It’s the only way you improve.”
But when High Limit took a two-week hiatus, Price-Miller stayed on the sidelines. Instead of heading to central Pennsylvania for Speedweek or racing with another series in the Midwest, he went to the chassis dyno.
Price-Miller and Warrington were looking for the right combinations to pick up more speed, especially in qualifying. They tried different headers and nozzle combinations in order to learn more so they could apply it in different situations on the road.
It’s paid off. Price-Miller was back to qualifying well, and the car was better in race conditions. But it wasn’t just a mechanical process … the driver-crew chief had to work on his mental game behind the wheel.
“More so, not worrying that my car has to be perfect,” Price-Miller said. “Just get my car good enough to where I let myself drive and do my job. When I first took over the [new] role, instead of driving, I was like, ‘Oh, I should do this, I should’ve done that,’ instead of worrying about passing the guy in front of me.
“So, I think that maturing in that situation has helped, and then just gathering a notebook. I had notes from when I previously raced by myself and with Bernie. He was kind enough to let me take notes, so I had good people to learn from.
“It’s just building our notebook and learning what our car and what I like. We’ve built off that in the last month and a half, and we’ve been pretty strong.”
It’s never easy running your own deal. This sport continues to get more expensive, which makes it difficult on car-owners … especially the ones who also drive the car and work on it.
But Price-Miller is heading in the right direction. It’s not the same as when he ran a potent Dietz Motorsports entry, but he is more mature and is learning about all aspects of the operation.
There is also a sense of accomplishment when Price-Miller runs well. It shows progress, and that has the young driver looking forward to Saturday’s Kings Royal and the rest of the season.
“[Saturday] is a big race,” he said. “It’s the Kings Royal. It’s a different format, so you just never know, so I’m excited. I’m really excited for the Knoxville Nationals, excited to go to the West Coast. I’ve always been good on the small tracks with a curb. I’m excited for that.
“We were really good at Port Royal for the Weikert earlier this year, so I’m excited for the Tusky. I’m just excited to be racing. Last year at this time, I got kind of burned out and just wasn’t into it. I’ve gotten that feeling back of wanting to be back at the racetrack, which is good.”