Dr. Jack Miller made a name for himself as the “racing dentist” in the mid-1990s, running in Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires before realizing a dream in 1997 when he qualified for the Indianapolis 500.
Miller made a vow to himself during those years that if he ever had a child who was interested in following in his footsteps, he or she would have everything he didn’t have in order to succeed.
Fast forward to 2019 and Miller has done exactly that: Miller Vinatieri Motorsports, formed in partnership with the Indianapolis Colts’ legendary place kicker Adam Vinatieri, fields a car in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship for his son, Jack William Miller, now 16. The young Miller has begun his journey on the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires; a journey he hopes takes him to the same destination as his father: the NTT IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis 500.
The elder Miller looks back on his racing career with fondness, remembering how it felt to sit on the starting grid for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. If Jack William plans to achieve that same position, Miller knows he has to do it right.
“I had a very late start,” Miller said. “I didn’t start racing anything until I was 26 years old. I ran my first Indy 500 when I was over 35 and raced until I was 40. I may not have had the career I wanted performance-wise, but I had a great time doing it.
“One of the best days of my life was the first time I qualified for the Indy 500 and at the time I thought if I have kids and they want to get into racing, I’m going to make sure they had everything I didn’t have. I’ve never forced Jack into racing but if he was going to do it, we were going to do it right – the right equipment, the right engineering, the right coaching, and a good amount of practice. I didn’t want him to just show up to race; we would do it right, the proper way I wish I could have had it through my career. That’s why we started the team. I was willing to invest the time, effort and money into running the team, and it’s been fantastic. I think we’ve done a really good job, starting from scratch.
“I’ve always told him to tell me if he wanted to stop, then we’d wait two weeks and make sure – but a couple of years ago he told me I could stop telling him that, that he loved being in the sport more than anything.”
Jack William began competing when he could barely walk, earning numerous victories in the karting ranks. Miller met Vinatieri when their sons were racing karts together, and Vinatieri decided to support Jack William’s career by joining the racing effort. When the time came to transition to cars, the elder Miller opted for the F4 US Championship, which allowed drivers to compete at age 13 – but with the ultimate goal of reaching the Road to Indy.
“F4 was a great series to start out in, but this (USF2000) is a true racing series," Miller said. "We always wanted to run the Road to Indy, for many reasons: I think it’s a great training ground, to get the drivers on the tracks that they’ll run when they run Indy Lights or IndyCar. And the safety is second to none. I’ve been in an ambulance, I’ve been in a helicopter and that’s very important to me. The drivers get to learn ovals and the cars are fantastic. Everyone is willing to lend a hand, from the Andersens, to the people at Cooper Tires, Tatuus and Cosworth.”
In the meantime, Miller still has his dental practice, though his sister, Nancy Locke, manages the five dental offices along with Miller’s wife, Liz, while Miller does surgeries on Wednesday afternoons. The upscale dental practice has been key for many reasons, including the relationship with Lumist Oral Care, a tooth-whitening product that is gaining in popularity. But at the end of the day, the race team demands the bulk of his attention.
“I think Lumist is one of the best products on the market," Miller said. "The company is owned by Densen Cao and the Cao Group, which has a lot of different products they sell to dentists. Since we’re a big group with a lot of offices, it’s a natural fit for us to promote their products – and he wanted to be a part of this. They can entertain their customers, inviting their local practices to the races, and I believe there is a lot of potential for both of us.
“I still enjoy working on the dental side of the business, so I have the best of both worlds. But racing is a full-time job, everything that you have to do to run a team. That’s a fun part of this, and it means I have a lot to do on race weekends, but when the green flag falls, I become a dad. I hope that he doesn’t get hurt and that he does well.”
As Jack William progresses up the Road to Indy ladder, his father cannot help but wonder what the future for his son – and for the team – will be.
“I’m not sure what the long-term plan is, but in my ideal world we keep climbing the ladder up to IndyCar. In a perfect world, Chip Ganassi, Roger Penske or Michael Andretti call Jack and say 'I’ve got a seat for you,'" Miller said. "I’ll cry, then go put my trailer away and be a fan in the stands. But I’m having the time of my life doing this. I’ve met so many different people, and we have so many great sponsors that have pitched in to make this program work.
“I want Jack to have his own niche in life, that his racing is not judged by my racing. He’s doing well for his age and the experience that he has, and he’s definitely a better driver than I am! I’m so happy for him.”