CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (August 30) - The old cliché states that one would rather be lucky than good any day. I would hesitate to say Jeremy Miller has been lucky as of late, in fact one might be able to say the opposite.*

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Jeremy Miller Wins the Performance Concepts Iowa Bob Milner Memorial 100 at Hawkeye Downs Speedway
by: Tim Sharp
Public Relations Director
ASA Late Model Series

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (August 30) - The old cliché states that one would rather be lucky than good any day. I would hesitate to say Jeremy Miller has been lucky as of late, in fact one might be able to say the opposite. After leading 97 of the scheduled 100 laps at Dixie Motor Speedway on August 22nd Miller would be involved in a racing incident relegating him to a 3rd place finish. Fast forward one week to the Milwaukee Mile. Miller’s team was forced to pit before the green flag in the Governor’s Cup 100 forcing him to start at the tail of the field. Miller promptly went out and passed 26 cars for a second place finish. While “lucky” would be a misuse of words, “good” would be an understatement when describing the previous three races for the Illinois driver. Miller’s luck would finally take a turn in the right direction as he won the Performance Concepts Iowa Bob Milner Memorial 100 at Hawkeye Downs Speedway in dominating fashion.

“Fast” Eddie Hoffman topped the speed charts during ARP Bodies qualifying nearly eclipsing Travis Dassow’s track record speed. Hoffman drew an inversion of 6 placing Jeremy Miller on the inside of the front row for the start of the evening’s featured event. Stoughton Wisconsin’s Jason Tyler would accompany Miller on the front row. With the field set, a packed house at the historic Iowa speedway settled in for an incredible evening of ASA Late Model Series racing.

The start of the race didn’t go exactly as planned for a handful of drivers in the ASA Late Model Series Northern Division. Troy Hintzsche lost grip in his Lorz Motorsports machine before the completion of the first lap which grouped the field again for a complete restart. With the green flag out for the second time, Steven Brooks would experience some contact causing his machine to spin regrouping the field for yet another complete restart. Unfortunately for Cedar Falls, Iowa driver Jill George, her machine was collected as collateral damage and finished for the night.

When racing action resumed, the field seemed to settle in. Jeremy Miller used his front row starting position to gain an early lead while Jason Tyler fought the handling on his machine. 2007 ASA Late Model Series Northern Division Champion Trent Snyder was the car to watch in the early laps. His Performance Concepts Iowa/Jean Ross Eyewear Chevrolet was coming through the field quickly before the handling began to fade. Snyder later joked, “My car was so fast at the start of the race that it was almost lap the field good. Before long it just got so tight that it was pretty much two laps down good”.

With a green flag run developing, Joey King was able to maneuver his Adrian Carriers machine into the second spot. Caution number three flew on lap 21 as Ron Norman’s machine took a ride toward the infield at Hawkeye Downs Speedway. Norman would be able to continue, and once again the green flag was displayed. Brett Moffitt joined his fellow rookies in the top three on lap 32 after making a pass for the third position. Eddie Hoffman settled into fourth as lap 33 would see caution number for due to a spinning J. Herbst.

The fifth caution of the night came just 6 laps later when the machines of Trent Snyder and Jesse Saunders tangled while running in the top 10. Both machines would continue on in the evening’s event. Miller continued to lead as the green was once again displayed by chief starter Tom Powell. Joey King’s #29 repeatedly made progress in closing the distance; however he was unable to make a move on Miller. After a quick caution for a spinning Thor Anderson, King was again looking to make a move on Miller. With Miller’s #32 leading the way, the three rookies began to distance themselves from the field.

The final caution of the night came on lap 83 when Curtis Vanderwal’s machine made terminal contact with the backstretch wall. The stage was set for a 17 lap shootout with King and Moffitt both trying to advance and score their first career win in ASA Late Model Series competition. In the end Miller would not be denied as he led from flag to flag to win the Performance Concepts Iowa Bob Milner Memorial 100.

In total it was a very strong showing for the 2008 rookie crop as they swept the podium positions. Current rookie of the year points leader Brett Moffitt has scored back to back podium finishes only to watch his points lead shrink. “The race went good and the crew has been working really hard lately” stated Moffitt. “We have just been keeping our nose clean and getting what we can. Hopefully we can have a good finish to the season and pull away from the 32 again. I think we can get that win soon”.

Joey King’s season hasn’t been as memorable as that of Moffitt and Miller. The Silvis, Indiana driver has been plagued with enough bad luck to last a lifetime. That started to change as he scored his career best finish in ASA Late Model Series competition in the Performance Concepts Bob Milner Memorial 100. “This race went really well and it feels great to get this finished” stated King. “We were better on short runs and able to really get up there with the 32 for a few laps. I was looking for a caution toward the end and I got one with 17 to go. I pretty much knew that was going to be my last shot. He didn’t push up on the restart like he had been doing earlier and when I got back into the gas he was there on the bottom. He really drove it perfect and there was just really not q whole lot I could do”.

When asked about the competition of the 2008 ASA Late Model Series rookie class, King admitted to being impressed with the talent level. “The rookies in this series definitely don’t drive like rookies” King commented. “Even though Moffitt is only 15 he has been great this season. Jeremy (Miller) has been racing late models for a while. It has definitely been incredibly competitive between all of us”.

After fighting some bad luck of his own, Jeremy Miller is just glad to get the first win out the way. “Every series we have been in we have been fortunate enough to get a win, and I was getting concerned because the season is starting to wind down” stated Miller. “I am hoping we can come back next year and race but everything is still up in the air for us sponsor wise. I was starting to think I wouldn’t get a win in this series so this is just absolutely huge for us”.