Connect with us

Summer Shootout Series

Zach Miller cruises to Summer Shootout Semi Pro championship

Seth Eggert | STS

By keeping the competition at bay, Zach Miller protected his points lead and captured the VP Racing Fuels Semi Pro Championship. Zach Miller had a little help from his brother, Ryan Miller, as the duo fought the competition in the BoJangles Summer Shootout.

The Miller brothers ran inside the top five all night long. Also inside the top five was Zach’s Championship rival, Dustin Rumley. The Miller brothers and Rumley could not break away from each other all night long. Rumley finished third, between Ryan (second) and Zach (fourth) as they jockeyed for position all night long.

On every restart, Zach Miller chose to restart on the outside. The choice worked out nearly every time. Only twice did Zach lose positions, and both times, he lost the positions to his brother Ryan, as well as Rumley.

“It’s got me speechless right now,” Zach Miller admitted. “Race-wise, I would have liked a better finish, but I knew where I needed to be to win the Championship. That last restart, I chose the outside, hoping I could pull off another outside move. But someone decided not to use their brakes and put me in the fourth groove. I’m going to have let that go because I’m the Champion and I have to celebrate. It’s just unbelievable.”

Twice Zach Miller and Rumley restarted side-by-side. Both times the two rivals raced each other hard, but the racing was clean. And, both times, Zach Miller cruised ahead of Rumley.

Zach Miller, often turns the wrenches on both his own and his brother’s car. The family team based out of Ohio was the first family team in recent years to claim a Championship at the BoJangles Summer Shootout. Zach admitted that the Championship wouldn’t have been possible without family,

“It just shows our dedications and how hard we push ourselves to be fast and consistent. Without my family, this wouldn’t even be possible. My Dad and all of his support, I wouldn’t be able to do it without. We all just love each other so much. I’m speechless right now.”

For Zach Miller, to be the Champion is a dream come true,

“It feels better than a dream. It’s finally reality. The eight weeks of being a point leader and hoping I don’t screw up. It’s definitely a big relief.”

Zach Miller briefly took the lead on lap seven before being shuffled back. Ryan Miller, in turn, laid back to allow his brother to get back in line. This caused a stack-up behind Ryan, resulting in several cars spinning. For the remainder of the race, Ryan pushed forward, even passing his brother.

“I have to thank my whole family. We had a bunch of people drive down from Ohio to watch us for these last two rounds. I have got to thank them for all of their support.”

For now, Zach will celebrate his Championship until he and his brother compete against each other once again.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Facebook

Archive

Advertisement

More in Summer Shootout Series