Wyatt Miller finished a week of Late Model Stock Car racing at North Carolina’s Southern National Motorsports Park with a pair of top-10 finishes and a ton of laps logged as the young third-generation driver sets the stage for a busy 2026 racing season.
The 14-year-old son of Kelley Earnhardt Miller and L.W. Miller competed in the annual Speed Week at the tight quarter-mile speedway, driving the No. 73 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet for JR Motorsports, logging eighth-place finishes in two races and gaining valuable perspective as he enters the LMSC ranks.
On March 4, the young driver raced in the 125-lap feature that kicked off the annual four-night event, finishing 19th against a veteran field.
March 5
The following night, Miller returned to the oval for twin 30-lap features, starting 17th in the first before finishing 13th and rebounding in the second 30-lapper to post an eighth-place result.
“The first 30-lap feature was challenging,” Miller said. “We were a little bit off, but Bryan (crew chief Bryan Shaffer) and the entire JR Motorsports team made good adjustments before the second 30-lap feature to help the handling for the second.
“We fired off well in the second 30-lap feature. Once I was in my rhythm, I was able to move forward through the field and secure a top-10 finish. The car handled a lot better in the second feature. The team did a great job working on the car in between the features. I feel confident going into the third night of racing. The race will be 50 laps, so I think I’ll be able to run hard and gain more experience.”
March 6
In Friday night’s 50-lap LMSC feature, the young driver lined up 10th after qualifying and, using knowledge gleaned from the twin-30-lap features the night before, was running in the pack just past the halfway point of the 50-lapper when he got to the inside of another car to make it three-wide.
As the cars funneled into the tight corner, the hole closed quickly, resulting in contact that put the Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet atop one of the other cars and doing damage to the nose. After briefly getting out, Shaffer told his young charge to get back in the seat, and he drove the car to a solid eighth-place finish.
“Tonight’s feature was eventful,” Miller said. “I got a good run going into Turn 3 and got to the inside of the car in front of me, putting us three-wide. It narrowed down in a hurry and I jumped wheels and ended up on top of another car. I climbed back in and finished eighth. I can’t thank my entire team enough for working hard to fix the nose damage to get me back on track.”
March 7
The culmination of Speed Week at SNMP was a 100-lap Late Model Stock Car feature, and the young driver put his best foot forward in the extra-distance race.
Starting 10th, Miller stayed on the pace set by the leaders and kept contact with the lead pack. Sliding up a couple of positions to eighth, Miller rode there and raced with the more experienced drivers, bringing home another eighth-place finish for Shaffer, JRM and Bass Pro Shops.
“I had a good race car this afternoon,” he said. “I was able to run a similar pace to the leaders and make more laps. Bryan and the entire team worked hard this week to give me a good piece to learn in.”
On the whole, Miller said that he learned a lot from the four nights of racing and will apply it as soon as possible.
“Overall, it was a good weekend,” he said. “I learned a lot about how to manage tires and keep my car under me for longer races. I’m looking forward to my next Late Model race. I learned a lot this week, and I am excited to keep learning more.”