The Evolution of a Sprint Car Driver: Melissa Miller Dishes on Dirt Track Racing & More

When the 2024 racing season at Ohsweken Speedway was about to kick off, Melissa Miller hadn’t yet fully decided to go into the crate sprint division. Three weeks before opening night, to be exact. Driver rosters were released in May, and her name was notably listed as number 93 in thunder stocks, the class in which she raced religiously for 11 years.

Her passion for motor sports began when she was first drawn to local demolition derbies as a child. Following that, she saw the ‘Motorcrossed’ movie where a young girl secretly takes over in dirt bike racing for her twin brother. And finally, she took inspiration from ‘Right On Track,’ the Disney drama-doc series based on the true story of the Enders sisters – world-class drag racers who excelled in a historically male-dominated sport. Melissa’s family raised horses, and so at first, they questioned her enthusiasm for a completely different perspective on racing, but her dad was eventually the one who introduced her to Ohsweken Speedway (their home track) and the rest is history.

In 2013, when she first set tire-to-dirt-track, she was primarily the only woman in her division. There was only one other she was aware of, but to her knowledge her counterparts were 99% male and 100% focused on their own showings and stats. The experience proved to be the complete opposite from the family-oriented sprint car division her hometown racing friends and track connections were a part of. But with the support of her dad, mom, and brother (also a driver) she was introduced to the speedway that first year and spent a little more than a decade learning the nature of the beast. Grooves, volatility, and dirt track changes over the course of a racing season brings the excitement to the sport, while track prep, her ambition to learn, and sometimes luck made all the difference in Miller’s performance and standings as a rookie thunder stock driver. Over time, her skillset and driver experience meant slicing through the pack and trading paint was par for the course. But she still easily recognized the imbalance that being a woman in her division resulted in.

Miller’s original driving division was more a matter of fate than choice. She preferred the mini stocks at first, however her brother Derek (who was then driving in thunder stocks) was selling his car in order to get a better one. As a starter, her dad purchased that car and (for lack of a better term,) Melissa was off to the races. For five years she learned the ropes on that initial model, and then she purchased a Chevy Caprice with a standard transmission and 305 rules package. With 10% down and a $10K loan from the bank, her investment paid off. She ran that model for 2-and-a-half more seasons (taking into account that the track closed for Covid) improving her driver experience and becoming better at repairs and car enhancements. “With that class you have to kind of be a mechanic, you have to kind of be a fabricator, you have to be a driver, you have to know everything or have a lot of general knowledge on Chevrolet; different setup and geometry … I didn’t lack the knowledge, but the skillset that I didn’t develop was the hands-on,” she explained. “I had the skills, but it wasn’t at a level that I could be quick or specific [in repairs] and I didn’t have the resources, and I got tired of being put farther and farther back in my general career because I hadn’t acquired those skills.”

During Covid Melissa chose to crew for her brother, who was featured on the APTN series ‘Friday Night Thunder,’ focusing on Indigenous sprint car divers and their families from Six Nations. In that timeframe, she explained that she realized she was more than capable of acquiring the type of knowledge she previously felt she lacked. And although sprint cars can be very knowledge based – learning your setup, learning how to make your car better perform, learning efficiencies – she recognized she could retain that and improve her own experience.

That was when she got her first taste of the crate sprint division. In 2021 she had the opportunity to test a model at the nationals. And, once you get a taste for something new, it either stays with you or you walk away and return to what’s familiar. This initial test planted the seed, however, and Melissa took the leap. “A sale came up for a street stock, and I sold my Caprice to fund the sprint season,” she explained. “It was both hard and a little risky feeling. But paid off ten-fold.”

With a borrowed car, and a lot of help from her racing friends & family (she was quick to recognize her local counterparts the Hills, Ashton & Pete VanEvery, her crew members that included Gerry Hill and her parents Michael and Richelle Miller, and her brother Derek’s support) her rookie season as a sprint car driver finally happened. “It was a new challenge. And I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it,” she said.

Miller’s life on and off-track has had its twists and turns. The fall of 2023 was no exception when she lost her best friend, Summer Doughty, suddenly in a tragic accident. As a result of this and other challenges that seemed to magnify the grief, she focused her efforts on personal improvement in life and in dirt track racing. “I had something to prove to myself … I had the nerve to start [racing] on my own. I just needed to show myself I could stay in it on my own,” she explained. Difficulties, traumas, and personal matters aside, she threw herself into it, investing a minimum of 30 hours per week learning how to take apart her car and put it back together. Once again, drivers in this new division treated her more like family than competition. The knowledge transfer and personal support proved to help her grow in her field. “The class [sprint car] in general … they’re a little more forthcoming with advice and support,” she noted. As a result, she was able to use the experience to keep busy while processing her grief.

Finishing the 2024 Ohsweken Speedway race season 28^th in points out of 56 is pretty alright for a rookie sprint car driver. Melissa made 5 features in that time and had a local cheering section that grew in the pits as well as the grandstand. Her successful class change came as no surprise to her close family and friends even if she, herself, was unsure at first. The decision proved perfect for the adrenaline junkie who now plans to continue her evolution in the sprint car division. Grateful for her experiences and support, Melissa will be back at Ohsweken Speedway for the 2025 dirt track racing season with new skills, a new car, and new fan following.