The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Bernie Miller a local racing legend
BernieMiller: WWII Navy veteran a pioneering Utica-Rome Speedway racer
CANASTOTA » Retired auto mechanic Bernie Miller had a great way to test the work he did on his own vehicles.
Miller, who just turned 90 onSaturday, July 22, was a professional race car driver back in the 1950s through the late 1970s, now heralded as one of the pioneering local heroes of the early days of the UticaRome Speedway in Vernon.
“That really gave me the chance to prove my stuff, and how well it was working,” he said
His projects included the rather unique project of cutting the trunk froman old 1931 Buick to make it a towtruck by mounting a towing boom apparatus. He could then tow his race car, or any other vehicle, behind that repurposed Buick creation. His mechanical aptitude also helped out if he ever broke down on the side of the road, Miller added. He never had to call the auto club for help … he simply got out, went under the hood, and fixed the problem to get running again.
Born in 1927, Miller was a promising member of the Oneida High School football team, helping them win the league championship his junior year. The fullback was set to be the captain of the team his senior year when he decided instead to follow the ex- ample of his three uncles fighting in World War II — Miller quit school at 17 and enlisted in the Navy for the duration.
Although he knows he did his part for the American efforts during the war, there is still regret in his voice as he tells the story. Miller admitted he feels now that he disappointed his Coach Duncan when he left the football team.
“I let him down,” Miller lamented.
His mustering-out pay was enough for the down payment on the house he still lives in today in Canastota, heated by the 100-year-old coal furnace that had been his parents’. He married his wife Hellen in 1947, and they will celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary in November. Hellen is currently at a residential care facility in Chittenango, while their son George lives with Miller. Their elder son Willie, a veteran of the war in Iraq himself, is nearby to help out around the home.
Miller worked for the railroad for awhile after the war was over, then with a Chevrolet dealership in Oneida for eight years until his request for a raise was turned down. He went on to work for another Chevy dealer in East Syracuse, lasting about eight-anda-half years, until the day after he took a day off and was questioned for the reason. He quit on the spot, Miller, re-
Miller, who just turned 90 on Saturday, July 22, wasaprofessional race car driver back in the 1950s through the late 1970s, nowheraldedas oneof the pioneering local heroes of the early daysof theUtica-RomeSpeedway in Vernon.
quit on the spot, Miller, recalled, knowing he had a good chance to make a living on his own working out of his home garage.
And make a living he did, as he became wellknown for his expertise on complicated welding jobs and the ability to bend and formsteel around the trailer hitch ball of his vehicle in the driveway. This was before the modern equipment made that kind of work much easier, Miller recalled, and his efforts called for much skill and a trained eye in creating the proper angles in the bent metal. He even built his own cars, including his race car.
Miller said watching the races made him “itchy” to try his hand behind the steering wheel himself. He started his now-famed racing career in 1950 at the old Vernon Speedway, now Vernon Downs, shortly before it became the harness racing track it is today. When they switched over to horse racing, the UticaRome Speedway was created nearby in Vernon, and Miller was one of the firstever drivers to compete on their track in 1961.
He also raced at LaFayette, Brookfield, Albany, Saratoga, and throughout the northeast. His number was 41 — although not the number he wanted, Miller admitted. He originally tried to get his football number of 87, but that was already taken, he said. Number 41 was the first number available to him, he recalled, so he took that one.
In 1952, Miller was taking some practice laps at the same time a water truck was on the track. As he came down the back stretch with the sunlight in his eyes and the dust kicking up in front of him, he only noticed the truck was directly in front of him when he was just several feet away. Miller hit the truck, smashing his head and leaving quite a swollen egg on his forehead, he said. He also wrecked his race car.
“I totaled that car, and the truck pretty near totaled me,” he said.
Miller said he was ba- sically a nice guy on the track, but he could get angry if provoked. One time, one of the other drivers spun him off the track, and when he got back on course he quickly spun that driver out in revenge. Miller was fined for that act of road rage, he said.
One of his biggest personal career highlights was winning the big Dogwood 500 race in Virginia in 1971, triumphing over some of the biggest names at the time in NASCAR. He earned $2,300 for that victory, Miller recalled — big money back then.
He retired fromracing in 1978. His final race was one he will always remember, as he had two flat tires during the competition. Luckily, he was sponsored by Firestone, who paid himfor every lap he drove around a track on their tires.
Inducted into the New York State Stock Car Association Hall of Fame in Au- gust 2001 during the 40th anniversary celebration of the Utica-Rome Speedway, Miller was hailed as a true pioneer hero of the sport there in Vernon. He was celebrated for winning the Sportsman class divisional championship in 1967, his three career feature wins in the Modified division, and being “one of the most wellliked drivers in early speedway history,” according to motorsport.com.
While today’s drivers often have an entourage of helpers, Miller recalled he was pretty much on his own for most of his races. He said there have been a lot of changes in the sport since his heyday.
“They’ve got it made today,” Miller said of the modern racers. “I was a one man show.”
He recalled a real camaraderie between the drivers during the days he was racing, but admitted he didn’t really take the time to enjoy after-race get-togethers with his fellow sportsmen. More often, he finished his racing, packed up his car, and headed home, Miller said.
“I didn’t really hang out with them … I was a family man, and wanted to get home to my family,” he recalled.