Upon learning that NASCAR was looking for a new senior vice president of competition back in 2015, Kevin Harvick, at the time the reigning Cup Series champion, knew who’d be a good fit. Jeff Burton thought similarly, and the NBC Sports analyst, who had retired from driving the year before, also voiced his opinion to NASCAR executives.
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To replace the departing Robin Pemberton, Harvick and Burton recommended Scott Miller, who had worked in motorsports for 40 years and in NASCAR on the team side in various roles over 20 years, including stints as a crew chief and vice president of competition at both Richard Childress Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing. Such experience made him an ideal candidate for a job that entailed overseeing all competition matters related to officiating, technology advancements, inspection procedures and rule changes. And from the perspectives of Harvick and Burton, both of whom Miller worked with at RCR, no one was better qualified.
“He’s just a really good guy,” Burton said. But he also has a way of taking the emotions out of it, looking at all the different standpoints. He’s really objective and straight-up honest.”
The strong recommendation from Harvick and Burton wasn’t the sole reason NASCAR hired Miller a little more than seven years ago, though having two respected voices within the garage speak on his behalf certainly helped his cause.
Further working in Miller’s favor was that he had a solid rapport with most everyone in the garage. NASCAR sought someone who could help improve communication between the officials and the teams, more of an open dialogue than what existed previously, which, according to Miller, was “this is how things are going to be because we said.” But NASCAR wanted to transform that relationship, and Miller represented just the person to undertake that initiative.
“The previous sort of regime kind of ran things their own way, and it was different,” Miller said. “It was perfect for the day, but times were changing, and it didn’t seem like they were changing with the times. So I think that that’s one of the big reasons why I ended up in the spot; I was able to kind of facilitate that communication. And I’m proud of that. I’m proud of being a part of the changing of the way the industry does business.”
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If Miller sounds reflective, it’s because he is. His role with NASCAR is now changing.
On Wednesday, NASCAR announced that Miller was moving into a newly created position as “competition strategist.” The role will allow him to focus on “big picture” special projects like NASCAR’s return to North Wilkesboro after a decades-long absence and the first-ever street course race at the Cup level, in July on a circuit laid out in downtown Chicago. Elton Sawyer is now assuming the majority of the duties that Miller once fulfilled.
“I think my contribution was, honestly, just trying to keep everybody calm and focused on what we needed to do,” Miller said.
Since joining NASCAR in December 2015, Miller has earned wide praise for being a conduit between NASCAR and its teams by working to facilitate better communication and trust between two parties with often competing agendas.
“I think it’s important to understand the sport from a team standpoint, so that you can better relate to create fairness or whatever it is you’re trying to do,” Burton said. “I think it’s very important to understand the ins and outs of what people and the teams actually deal with.”
Said Harvick: “He’s just even-keel. He just has such a good rapport with a lot of the people in the garage.”
“He’s a racer, he’s just a racer,” added Joey Logano, the reigning Cup champion.
In any sport, officials are supposed to remain in the background — if they’re seen and heard, that usually means mistakes were made. And in Miller’s case, as NASCAR’s unofficial spokesperson, he was seen and heard on multiple occasions in 2022 due to questionable rulings that required an explanation. He and NASCAR insist that none of this factored into Miller’s decision, though, he admits, “On the days when it was bad, you go, ‘Man, I don’t need this crap anymore.’”
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“That’s never fun, but it’s part of the job,” Miller said about the criticism directed his way. “Those things are never good, but when there’s problems, that’s what’s going to happen in today’s world. And when you’re in my position, you’re gonna have a lot of arrows pointed out at you, and over the years you just kind of have to get a little bit of a thick skin about it.”
Miller’s decision is actually one he’s been contemplating for some time. He first began thinking about shifting into a different position a few years ago, only for the pandemic to strike, throwing any plans into disarray.
The pandemic forced NASCAR to push its ballyhooed Next Gen car from debuting in 2021 to the following year. New race weekend schedules and qualifying formats had to be conceived to account for NASCAR and its teams not being permitted to bring a full array of personnel to the track due to COVID-19 protocols. If NASCAR was to resume racing, it had to adapt on the fly, with Miller a key cog in helping NASCAR find a way forward.
“It just wasn’t a time to walk away, it was a time to help get through those difficult times,” he said.
But Miller knew that once the situation stabilized, he was ready for a change. He finalized his decision by the first third of the 2022 season and, while he says he had some “bittersweet” feelings as the season wound down, he had no regrets.
Instead, he looked forward to being able to focus on what’s ahead, which includes no longer having to travel to every Cup Series race. And for someone who’s spent a good chunk of their time on the road for more than 35 years, this is much anticipated.
“I have some things I can sort of sink my teeth (into) that aren’t a 100-percent traveling position,” Miller said. “After 35-plus years, the traveling kind of got a little bit much.”
(Photo: Kena Krutsinger / Getty Images)
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