Bryce Miller drives 3-plus hours from Wisconsin to race at Hawkeye Downs: ‘It’s just a goldmine’

CEDAR RAPIS — Bryce Miller’s Late Model is typically the last car to pull into the pits on a Friday nights at Hawkeye Downs.

He has good reason.

It takes north of three hours and 200 miles to drive from Miller’s hometown of Columbus, Wis., to Cedar Rapids.

Double those figures for the roundtrip home and that’s how much travel Miller, the points leader, puts in every time he comes to race at HD.

“We leave the house at 3 p.m. and get there right before practice starts in the drivers meeting,” Miller said. “We unload and go racing, so there's no practice. It’s just go out and race — and it's been fun.”

Miller added he “almost always” heads back home after racing and often doesn’t return until close to 4 a.m.

For Miller, in his first year racing Late Models at HD, the fuel expense and drive time has been worth it.

“It’s (Hawkeye Downs) an awesome track, probably one of my favorites,” Miller said. “The track is so underrated. If we had a track around in Wisconsin like that, it’d probably be one of my favorites. It's just a goldmine.”

Miller, 23, took the checkered flag in both Late Model feature races on July 14. The Late Models division ran a double feature to make up for a rain out from the previous week.

“I think last week we got home at like 3:45 a.m.,” Miller said. “When we won both of them, it makes it all worth it.”

Miller capitalized on the double feature, something he’d like to see more of at Hawkeye Downs and other tracks, to entice travelers.

“I think double features would be the way to go,” Miller said. “You get two features in one night and only have to travel once. So just running two features in one night you get paid twice, which makes the trip a lot easier for the out-of-towners.

“I think if they start doing double features, seeing that guys are looking at me and seeing that I came and ran this series from Wisconsin, they might be more encouraged to come down.”

Whether it’s a single or a double, it’s a considerable amount of travel for Miller.

Fortunately, he has support from his parents who trek with him and serve as his “crew.”

“My mom (Cindy) does the tire pressures and my dad (Mark) and I do the setup and adjustments,” Miller said. “So, between the three of us, we make it work.

“They love racing and I'm super thankful for all their support and helping me.”

Miller got acquainted with HD drivers at the 2019 Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa, Okla.

“I was friends with Kacey Korsmo, and then Kacey kind of introduced me to all the other guys (Griffin McGrath, Danny Lehmkuhl, Michael Weber and Jordan (Miklas)) when we were down there,” Miller said. “And we've been good friends since. Kacey’s kind of the one that got me into that friend group, and now I get to race Late Models with them.”

Another reason for Miller’s decision to make the jaunt to Cedar Rapids was Hawkeye Downs’ NASCAR affiliation.

“That definitely was a huge proponent and why we kept showing up, being it's a NASCAR track and you’re racing for NASCAR points,” Miller said. “And with that brings a lot more attention.”

Miller holds a three-point lead over Korsmo with two features to go before championship night.

Miller is simply enjoying his time at the Speedway.

“I just really love racing at Hawkeye Downs,” Miller said. “I think it’s a really good short track and it gets a good crowd attendance with a lot of momentum. It'd be nice to get a couple more cars, but I think it’s going in the right direction.

“There’s positivity around the racetrack and everyone's been so welcoming, it's made someone that comes from Wisconsin feel like they're at home.”