Born in Southport, IN, October 1949, Miller first visited Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1957 and attended his first 500 in ’59. There his creativeness was captured by the overwhelming magnitude of the occasion, and particularly the heroics of Jim Hurtubise.
Nine years later, having dropped out of Ball State, he had joined the group of the NY-born fast-but-unlucky racer as a gopher, however was fired for damaging the fantastically painted brand of a outstanding sponsor whereas he was pushing the automobile.
A month later, he joined The Indianapolis Star and rapidly discovered his method to the sports activities division overlaying American Basketball Association’s Indiana Pacers. That sport was his lifelong second-favorite and the e-book he co-wrote concerning the Pacers’ early years and rise to prominence, We modified the sport, is a tremendous learn.
But it was his motorsport protection for which Miller turned legendary. As a U.S. open-wheel racing skilled he turned the go-to man for not solely The Star but in addition Autoweek, Car and Driver, Sports Illustrated, Autosport, Racer and Motor Sport journal. He would go on to stretch his viewers nonetheless additional as a TV persona with ESPN, SPEED and NBC.
IMS’s assertion at the moment included the truth that Miller’s perspective was notably valued as a result of he turned a racer himself within the early Nineteen Seventies, after buying a Formula Ford from Andy Granatelli.
“Two years later, Miller bought a midget from Gary Bettenhausen to begin a 10-year run as a USAC competitor. With assist from racing buddies Larry Rice, Johnny Parsons and the Bettenhausen brothers, Miller developed right into a driver fast sufficient to qualify fifth for the 1980 Hut Hundred midget race on the Terre Haute Action Track, a prestigious grime occasion that includes 33 vehicles lined up in 11 rows of three. However, a blown engine pressured him out of the race.
Robin Miller and Jimmie Johnson, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Photo by: Barry Cantrell / Motorsport Images
“Miller admittedly didn’t have a mechanical bone in his physique and lengthy loved telling tales of his racing naivety. Such as, he purchased a trailer too slender for his racecar – it needed to be loaded in at an angle – and he survived a crash right into a phone pole within the Indiana State Fairgrounds parking zone when he began the automobile with out buckling up. The throttle caught, launching the highly effective machine unexpectedly and dangerously ahead.
“In an even more serious situation, Miller suffered a head injury in hot laps at a 1975 midget race in Hinsdale, Illinois, when he flipped the car into a concrete wall, tearing the cage off his car.”
But it was as a storyteller – in print, broadcast or in particular person – that Miller turned most well-known, and he turned buddies with a number of the greatest names within the sport together with Tom Sneva, Parnelli Jones, A.J. Foyt, Dan Gurney, Bobby and Al Unser, Tony Bettenhausen, Mario Andretti, Johnny Rutherford, Dario Franchitti and Tony Kanaan. However, he was additionally very near group house owners, engineers and mechanics.
In 2019, as Miller lined his fiftieth “500” amid declining well being, Indianapolis Motor Speedway introduced the creation of the Robin Miller Award, to be given yearly to an “unheralded individual who has brought unbridled passion and an unrelenting work ethic to enrich the sport.” Last month, he was inducted into the Motorsport Hall of Fame.
In a press release at the moment, Roger Penske mentioned: “Racing has misplaced one in every of its most well-respected journalists and most beloved personalities. Robin Miller achieved his dream as his lifelong ardour for motorsports led him on a path to changing into the premier reporter in open-wheel racing.
“For greater than 50 years, Robin lined the game he liked with a fierce drive, a terrific sense of humour and uncompromising honesty. I do know that Robin was really touched by the help he obtained throughout the motorsports group over these previous couple of months as he battled his sickness.
Fernando Alonso, Andretti Autosport Honda, Robin Miller
Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images
“As many of Robin’s friends honoured him and his legacy earlier this month when he was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame during Brickyard weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, it was a fitting tribute to his life’s work at the place that meant the world to him.”
Mark Miles, president and CEO, Penske Entertainment Corp. added: “My friendship with Robin and appreciation for his expertise and work started throughout his days at The Indianapolis Star. However, our relationship really grew as I entered the motorsports world and instantly found his unmatched ardour and vitality for our sport and his super dedication to our total group.
“Robin was each a real buddy and trusted confidant who by no means shied away from giving his sincere opinion and blunt, however typically invaluable, recommendation. Nobody liked racing extra, he was a real pleasure to work with and left an unforgettable and completely distinctive mark on each IndyCar and the Racing Capital of the World.
“We extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends, along with his loyal and sizeable legion of readers across the world. There simply won’t be another Robin Miller, and he will always hold a place in our hearts.”
Miller, a lifelong bachelor, is survived by a sister, Diane, and nieces Emily and Ashley.
