Vic Miller of Plaistow has held numerous positions including crew chief, car owner, car builder — and extremely tired racing enthusiast.
Several times, for example, he and his crew have made 10-plus-hour weekend trips to places, including Ohio and Michigan, to race Supermodified cars and some of those trips left Miller feeling like a zombie when he arrived at work on Monday mornings.
"I remember getting back at 4, 5, 6 in the morning, and I remember times when two or three of us were coming home at 6 in the morning and they'd drop me off straight at work," said Miller.
"After having driven all night, I'd go into the men's room, change my clothes, wash up and then suffer all day because I hadn't slept for a day. I'd get through the day and then just come home and collapse."
The 65-year-old Miller, who recently retired from his job as a machinist at Raytheon, has loved car racing ever since his grandfather took him to his first race as a teenager growing up in New Jersey.
Miller purchased his first racing car at 19 years old and as he said, things just took off from there.
Miller has become an extremely successful car owner over the years and was inducted into the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame last year.
One of Miller's cars will be driven in Saturday's 45th annual "Classic" at Lee (N.H.) Speedway in Lee, N.H.
Miller's driver is 42-year-old Chris Perley of Rowley, Mass. Miller and Perley together have won the classic multiple times, including last year.
"We're basically doing it for fun," he said about his crew. "The motors cost right around $40,000. We make pretty good money but everything we get we just plow right back into it. We've had good years. I think there was one year where we made about $60,000. But buying motors and parts and everything, you plow it right back into it."
Perley added: "If there's a race, he'll go after it. Someone who has been doing it for the 40 or so years that he's been doing it and who will still jump in a truck and drive 17 hours to a race is (dedicated). Before I got with him he had driven to California to Florida to you name it. You'd think after a while you'd say 'that's enough.'"
Teaming with Ollie
Miller's first racing car was a NASCAR modified. He then purchased his first Supermodified car in 1969.
"The reason I like (Supermodified cars) is that they're the fastest short track car there is," Miller said. "I've just kind of evolved with these cars and stayed with them."
Miller has had a great deal of success in Supermodified racing. He actually was legendary driver Ollie Silva's crew chief from 1969 to 1974.
Silva, who died in 2004, was the car owner back then, but both Silva and Miller built the car together.
"Basically him (Silva) and I did the bulk of the work," Miller said. "It was everything from building motors to repairing the car to changing tires and driving the truck (to races). Whatever it took."
Miller, who married his wife Lana in 1976, was single back in those days and he and Silva competed often. Very often.
"I figured it out and I think we ran 89 races one year," Miller said.
There was even one time period in 1973 when Miller and Silva took part in seven 100-lap races in nine days throughout California.
"You forget how big California is," Miller said laughing.
Silva and Miller won the "Classic" three straight times.
But in 1974, Miller decided he wanted to compete with his own cars.
"I just had my own ideas, and I wanted to build my own cars and fiddle around with them," he said. "You like to kind of control everything that you're doing, and I started building my own stuff and I'm still doing it today."
Making his cars
As a machinist, he learned to make things from scratch. He learned from the older, more experienced machinists and soon he was producing his own car parts in his free time.
Miller, who owns two Supermodified cars, said that he made approximately 50 percent of the parts in each car.
"We basically make all the parts to build the frame," he said. "We buy a lot of stuff, too. You buy wheels and the engine parts. But a lot of things need to be reworked and modified."
Miller works almost 40 hours a week in his cramped cellar where he keeps both cars.
Lana Miller said her husband has never worked on the cars on Sundays or Saturday evenings.
"That's where I had I had to put my foot down," Lana said, chuckling.
His own team
Miller and Perley, who have been a team since 1995, met each other through competing against each other.
"I was at a point where I either had to redo my operation to stay competitive or get out of it, and I was selling my car and hoping to do something and Vic's driver retired and it just opened up the seat for me," Perley said.
"We've won more races than anyone else in the division, we've won more races in a year than anyone, we've won more races in a row than anyone. It's just been crazy. ... Usually owners and drivers don't stay together this long. And we just keep rolling along."
The heroic story of Adam Taliaferro
Jason Babin tackles a different job for the day
Jason Babin believes in a Randy Moss comeback
Are there better WR options for the Eagles on the free-agent market?
The Sixers are able to hold off the lowly Bobcats
The Sixers showed maturity in closing out the Bobcats
Collins on not overlooking the Bobcats
Michael Eric's presence is undeniable for Temple
The Sixers are not taking anyone lightly
Spring training is right around the corner
Moving day: Phils' gear en route to Clearwater
Will the Flyers make a move at the trade deadline?
Timonen "disappointed" in teammates' effort
Morganti: 'Rangers' power play demolished the Flyers'
Timonen: 'I think we got half the guys going and half the guys not'
More shootout woes in store for the Flyers when they face the Red Wings?
The Rangers have the Flyers' number
St. Joseph's vs. Massachusetts Highlights - 2/11
Penn vs. Dartmouth Highlights - 2/11
Drexel vs. Hofstra Highlights - 2/11
Red Sox early arrivals in Fort Myers
Curran: Patriots had 'tepid' interest in Moss in '11
Ortiz, Red Sox meet in the middle
Merloni: Red Sox need another arm
Julien: In a 'must good-game' situation
Julien: 'did it the hard way'
McAdam's Spring Training primer
Doc: Team's effort is 'un-Celtic'
Pierce stresses mental toughness
Globe 10.0 Who was the best free agent in Boston?
Maria Menounos dons a Giants-colored bikini after losing Super Bowl bet-2/7
Thomas' moratorium: 'I'm out, peace'
Gasol: 'Not pleasant' being part of trade rumor
Blakely: Gasol-for-Rondo trade unlikely
Brady-ing is Latest Internet Meme
Globe 10.0: Is Paul Pierce the Celtics greatest scorer?
Ranking Pierce among Celtics greats
Garnett's tale of first meeting Paul Pierce
Pierce's loyalty touted after big night
Hurt Locker: Patriots react to Super Bowl loss
