HICKORY, N.C. — The pages of Earnhardt family history turned to a new chapter on Saturday night at North Carolina’s Hickory Motor Speedway.
The 13-year-old grandson of the legendary seven-time Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt, Wyatt Miller, secured his maiden Limited Late Model win at the renowned 0.363-mile track.
Miller is the offspring of L.W. Miller and Kelley Earnhardt-Miller, who is the daughter of Dale Earnhardt and the sibling of Dale Earnhardt Jr.
In his second appearance in a Limited Late Model at Hickory, Wyatt Miller began from the pole position and took the lead initially during the 40-lap main event. However, he eventually relinquished the race lead to outside polesitter Zach Bruenger.
Brugger took the lead until lap 32, when his vehicle’s engine caught fire exiting turn 4.
Miller took over the race lead and managed to fend off a determined push from Aiden King during the last lap. There was some bumping at the back of Miller’s vehicle exiting Turn 4, yet he clung on tightly to secure his maiden victory at this venue famously dubbed the “Birthplace of the Stars.”
“I had an excellent car,” Miller stated from Victory Lane. “I was closing in on Zach when his engine failed.”
I believe Aiden attempted to unsettle me, but it didn’t succeed.
The Earnhardt clan boasts a rich legacy at Hickory. Ralph Earnhardt, the patriarch of the famous lineage and father to Dale Earnhardt, clinched five track titles at the venue throughout the 1950s.
During his career, Dale Earnhardt secured victories at Hickory as well, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. raced at the track during his developmental stages.
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