Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s nephew eyeing “at least a top-five finish” in major Late Model debut

Dale Earnhardt Jr's nephew, Wyatt Earnhardt Miller, is gearing up for his Late Model debut on asphalt and dirt, aiming for a top-five finish in his maiden start. The 13-year-old, a fourth-generation racer from the Earnhardt family, is the son of JR Motorsports co-owners Kelley Earnhardt Miller and L.W. Miller.

Born into a racing family, Miller was destined to get behind the wheel and caught the racing bug during a 2020 trip to the Midwest. Since then, he has competed in Micro and Outlaw Karts, earning multiple victories. The reigning 2024 Tulsa Shootout Restricted Micro Champion is now set to take the next step in his career with his Late Model debut.

Wyatt Miller is set to make his asphalt Late Model debut at Hickory Motor Speedway on Saturday (March 8), in a Limited Late Model. In late April, Miller will make his dirt Late Model debut in a 604 Crate Late Model at Natural Bridge Speedway, Virginia. Despite his limited experience on asphalt, the 13-year-old is eyeing a top-5 finish on his debut.

"I’ve only ran Legend Cars on asphalt. It’s harder than a dirt car just because I’m not used to it yet. But it’ll be fun, hopefully. I want to get at least a top-five finish," he told FloRacing.

The Earnhardts have a long history at Hickory Motor Speedway. Miller's great-grandfather, Ralph Earnhardt, won five track championships, and his grandfather, Dale Sr., won multiple races at the 0.36-mile oval in NASCAR’s Late Model Sportsman division.

Kelley Earnhardt Miller also raced Late Models at the track in her brief racing career, and Wyatt's dad, LW Miller, raced modifieds there. Dale Earnhardt Jr. also cut his teeth at the track, racing Late Models at Hickory and Myrtle Beach early in his career.

Wyatt Miller also shared a sneak peek of his first laps in a Dirt Late Model at Ultimate Motorsports Park in Elkin, North Carolina. He thanked Longhorn Chassis for the opportunity.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr's nephew reflects on weekend filled with "learning"

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s nephew, Wyatt Miller, made a trip to Du Quoin, Illinois, for the Midwest Winter Nationals at the Southern Illinois Center. Competing in both the Winged Micros and Non-Winged Outlaw Micros, he showed top-5 speed but was caught in incidents that led to DNFs on the second night.

Reflecting on his weekend, the 13-year-old described it as a fun learning experience, as he wrote on X:

"Wrapped up the Midwest Winter Nationals in Du Quoin! It was a fun weekend filled with learning. Ran in the top 5 in both features until a few racing incidents took me out. Can't thank @_CBIndustries and Royal Chassis enough for giving me fast pieces to wheel!"

Having made seven feature starts this year, Miller is still chasing his first victory of the season. Last year, he competed in 55 events across various divisions, securing seven wins and finishing inside the top five in half of his starts.