Kari Miller LATEST Kari is one of "Fifteen notable women racers to keep an eye on."  She is also the first woman to win a Figure 8 race at Raceway Park! Bio Career Highlights Schedule Related Issue: Women Racers Directory, Women in Racing, Women Racers, More Women in Racing, Race Schedules, Notable Women Contact: www.karimiller.com/ (broken) or E-Mail Direct short-cut to this page: http://bit.ly/1599kmv Kari won the Western Australian Saloon Car Association Junior Sedan title. A Short Tracker, Kari is currently seeking sponsorship for the 2006 seasons! Kari will be competing in the Short Tracker Division and the Figure 8 Division in 2006! E-Mail Kari Miller is a female racecar driver. She competes in the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series Presented by Dodge Division IV. Kari currently races a 1990 Mustang in the Short Tracker Division. She is already looking ahead to the 2006 season as she will be competing in the Short Tracker Division once again with hopes of capturing a top 3 season points finish. The 2006 season marks the beginning of Kari's quest for the Rookie of the Year Title in the Figure 8 Division. Check out the Racer's Diary page for weekly updates after the races! Future goals for Kari include racing in the Late Model Division and traveling to different tracks to gain more racing experience. Kari does not want to limit herself to just circle track racing as she is interested in many types of racing. If the opportunity presents itself, she will drive any type of racecar. Kari is working hard to promote women in racing on the local level. She has been featured in the Minneapolis Star Tribune Newspaper, and on local news channels KARE11 and FOX9 News at 10PM. Bio Since childhood, Kari Miller has been a fan of auto racing. Miller was introduced to the sport of auto racing by her father, Dave Miller. Kari currently races in the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series at Raceway Park in Shakopee, MN. Ironically, Kari’s dad also competed at Raceway Park in the earlier days of the track. Watching NASCAR on television and attending the ASA race at the Minnesota State Fair sparked the need for speed. In 1998 Miller got her first chance to get into a race car. Her first race car driving experience was in a 1981 Buick Regal in the Bomber Division warmups. When she was on the track she knew that racing is what she wanted to do. At the end of the 1998 season, Miller teamed up with fellow Bomber driver, Troy Tuma. Miller finally got her chance to actually race a 1986 Olds Cutlass in the 1999 Bomber Division at Raceway Park in Shakopee, MN. 1999 also proved to be an exciting year for Miller because she and her partner Troy, bought a bar and grill in Red Wing, MN. Since Miller had to devote most of the beginning of the 1999 season to remodeling the bar and opening the business, her racing got put on hold, and she was only able to compete in 8 events. Despite her lack of track time and driving experience, she was able to capture a heat race win. Owning a successful business and working everyday proved to take a slight toll on Miller's passion for racing. Since everyone knows that the weekends are the busy time for bars and it's also when racing takes place, Miller had to put racing on the back burner each season to take care of business. In 2000, Miller was honored to receive the True Value Mechanic of the Year Award for the Bomber Division. One thing that sets Miller apart from other drivers is that she actually works on her race car. She feels that by playing an active role on the mechanics of the car, it makes her a better driver and more in touch with her race car. After 2 seasons in the Bomber Division, Miller was ready for a new challenge, so she bought a 1990 Ford Mustang to move up to the Short Tracker Division. In 2001 when Miller moved into the Short Tracker Division, she had set 2 main goals, to finish in the top 10 season points and receive the Rookie of the Year Title. Both goals were achieved. Miller has found that setting attainable goals helps in the weekly competition. The 2002 & 2003 seasons proved to be challenging because Troy and Kari relocated their business in Red Wing and had to start all over again. Putting business before racing, Miller had to miss a few races. Despite business obligations, Miller was still able to capture 1 Feature Race win and 3 Heat Race wins in 2002. Miller ended the 2003 season with 1 Feature Race win and 7 Heat Race wins. In 2003 she was also nominated for the Craftsman Mechanic of the Year Award. Miller has proven that qualified women can compete in racing as well as take care of business. In 2004 Miller and Tuma opened another new business. Miller had to miss several weeks of racing due to business obligations that had her traveling out of state. The 2004 season was one that Miller was happy to put behind her as it was the first season she didn't win any races. 2005 will once again prove to be another challenging year for Miller in the Short Tracker Division. Miller is still seeking sponsorship so that she can move up into the Late Model Division. Her goals for the 2005 Short Tracker season include competing for the Championship Title and securing sponsorship for a Late Model. Miller will also be competing in the Enduro Series Division in the 2005 season. Miller’s goals for the future include racing in the Late Model Division and competing for the Rookie of the Year Title. She would also like to race at several different tracks to get more experience in car setups. Miller would also love the opportunity to race in different types of racecars. Being a female in a predominantly male sport offers many challenges both on and off the track. Miller is working hard to change the perception of the role women play in the sport of auto racing. Miller has gained a lot of respect from the other drivers by spending many hours working on the car and coming back to the track after a crash. She has been unfortunate in that she has been in the wrong place at the wrong time each year and has hit the wall on the front stretch. Miller was also involved in a wreck in a 2000 Enduro race where she broke her wrist and suffered several other injuries to her knee and ankle. Being hurt in a race hasn’t stopped Miller from getting behind the wheel. Career Highlights 1999 1 Heat Race Win Featured in Minnesota's Racing Connection Newspaper 2000 TRUE VALUE MECHANIC OF THE YEAR Bomber Division 1 Feature Race Win Bomber Division 2 Heat Race Wins Bomber Division Featured on WCCO TV Channel 4 News, "Women in Sports", aired July 3rd Featured on Hastings local radio station, KDWA 1460AM Motorhead Mondays 2001 ROOKIE OF THE YEAR - Short Tracker Division Finished 10th in points (only rookie and only female in top 10 in the Short Tracker Division) 3 Heat Race Wins - Short Tracker Division Featured in Minnesota's Racing Connection Newspaper 2002 Featured in NASCAR MEMBER MAGAZINE July 2002 1 Feature Race Win - Short Tracker Division 3 Heat Race Wins - Short Tracker Division Finished 13th in overall season points Featured on Hastings local radio station KDWA 1460AM Motorhea Mondays Featured in Minnesota's Racing Connection Newspaper 2003 Featured on UPN29 News at 10PM, interviewed by Chris Conangla, May 2003 Featured on The Race Show, channel KSTC 45, July 2003 Featured in Minnesota's Racing Connection Newspaper Featured in the Red Wing Republican Eagle Newspaper May 2003 Featured in National Short Track Newspaper, August 2003 Featured in Women In Sports Online Magazine, November 2003 Nominated for Craftsman Mechanic of the Year Award 1 Feature Race Win - Short Tracker Division 7 Heat Race Wins - Short Tracker Division 9th in overall season points 2004 Overall 2004 was a terrible season for Kari. I had to take several weeks off to travel out of state for business obligations, when I returned, my car was not working right. I was unable to compete in several races due to the technical difficulties I was experiencing. It took several weeks to figure out exactly what was going on with the car, and finally on the last night of the season the car worked great! I also competed at Elko Speedway at Fall Festival, however 2 laps into the main feature the mouse trap broke and forced me to the middle of the track to watch my fellow racers compete on the last night of the season. 2005 4 Heat Race Wins Featured in Minneapolis Star Tribune Newspaper, 5/28/05 Featured on FOX 9 News at 9, KARE 11 News at 10, 5/29/05 2006 1 Heat Race Win Short Tracker Division 1 Feature Race Win Figure 8 Division FIRST WOMAN TO WIN A FIGURE 8 FEATURE RACE @ Raceway Park! Featured on Front Cover of Minnesota Racing Connection Newspaper Pace Car Driver for Nature Valley Grand Prix Bicycle Race in Downtown Minneapolis and Stillwater, MN. Only female in both Short Tracker & Figure 8 Divisions 2007 Schedule   *    *    * WomenInRacing.org | Contact Us ©1996-2023 by Gordon Clay