Jack William Miller doesn’t mean to come off as philosophical. But Miller believes if you want something bad enough, you’ll find a way to get it done.
That rallying cry has led the 20-year-old driver on a journey to being named last month as an INDY NXT by Firestone driver in 2024 with his family team, Miller Vinatieri Motorsports. This move takes him one step away from fulfilling his dream of the past 17 years – becoming an NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver.
The philosophy is also something Miller’s dad espouses. Dr. Jack Miller, a four-time Indianapolis 500 starter, was a dentist by trade and took the risk of jumping into a race car not as a kid, but as an adult.
That decision famously earned him the title “The Racing Dentist” during his INDYCAR SERIES driving career in the 1990s and early 2000s.
If all goes to plan, the younger Miller would love to be known as “The Fastest Jaguar” in 2024.
Miller, a sophomore student at IUPUI (school mascot – the Jaguars) in Indianapolis, embraces that he’s the only driver in the series born in the Hoosier State. Miller, a resident of the Indianapolis suburb of Carmel, wants to celebrate his Hoosier roots while going through schooling in downtown Indianapolis and racing a full schedule in INDY NXT. He is climbing to the INDYCAR development series after three seasons in Indy Pro 2000.
While most of his IUPUI classmates still try to search for a career path after graduation, Miller doesn’t need to worry. He’s known for 17 years. From the time he starting karting at age 3, racing is what he’s wanted to do.
Even though Miller was born two years after his father’s final INDYCAR race in 2001, he chose at a young age to pursue a racing path over the family dentistry business. He wanted to emulate his dad as a racer.
“He accomplished a lot while not really coming from anything or like having any experience,” Miller said. “So, I think if that's what I could live up to be, then I would be pretty happy with that.
“I think I'm my own person. Obviously, it's not the exact same, but he's done something in his career that I've wanted to always do in mind, so I can't skew too far away from that path because, obviously, I want to have the same end goal of being an INDYCAR driver.”
That goal is a common bond for father and son. Jack Miller wants so badly for his son to advance one day to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. This experience together has made an impact on his son’s life.
“I think the racing actually brings us closer together because at the end of the day, we both have the same goal, and it's nice to know that,” Jack William Miller said.
“It's not about the money. I'm not writing a check to him to go race. He's putting his heart and soul into me. I think that's a big thing that means a lot to me. At the end of the day, you have somebody there who has control over my future but also has my best interest in mind.”
Another unique individual has Miller’s best interest, too – Adam Vinatieri.
The legendary NFL kicker and four-time Super Bowl champion is still highly revered in Indianapolis, as he played 14 seasons for the Indianapolis Colts. He met Miller’s dad almost two decades ago, and the two quickly bonded over shared passions, including cars.
“My dad and Adam have been friends for 18-20 years,” Miller said. “So, it just kind of started off as that. And then, of course, when my dad talked to him about moving up to, or how he was going to move up to race cars, he wanted to be a part of it in any way that he could. So, bringing his name and his image to the team has been very helpful.”
Miller, just like his dad, will race the No. 40 in 2024. He had two successful tests in an INDY NXT by Firestone car and said he’s ready to make the biggest jump of his life.