From the moment her racing career began at 15 years old, Caity Miller has never been afraid to mix it up with the established veterans.
Miller held her own in the NASCAR Modified division at both Idaho’s Meridian Speedway and Motorplex at the Mill throughout 2024, earning a victory at each track. The consistency and resolve Miller displayed at both facilities were major catalysts toward her receiving the prestigious Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award.
Named after Hall of Famer Wendell Scott, who became the first African-American to win a NASCAR Cup Series event in 1963, the award is presented to a driver based on their on-track performance in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series along with other qualities like sportsmanship and community service.
Miller has done everything possible to make a name for herself amongst the men and women in the industry. Being able to earn an accomplishment like the Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award is something Miller credits to the environment that has allowed her to thrive behind the wheel.
“It’s a huge accomplishment and definitely an honor,” Miller said. “I’m kind of in shock that I received a prestigious award like this. To be amongst the group of drivers who have won this award in the past is super cool, and I’m super proud of my team for helping me get to this point in racing.”
The love Miller possesses for racing originated through several conversations she had with Bob Cook, a veteran racer who she considers to be her second dad.
Since no one else in her family had any prior racing experience, Miller confided in Cook about her interest in pursuing motorsports as a potential career. Cook was eager to assist Miller with her burgeoning passion and took her to numerous Late Model races around the West Coast to see if she was willing to dedicate herself to such a rigorous sport.
Every trip to the race track only further invigorated Miller, who soon found herself in her first car with the aid of Cook and his family. Both sides understood finding success would be a methodical process, but Miller said Cook was constantly in her ear providing encouraging advice on how to be simultaneously mature and fearless.
“Don’t be intimidated by the boys,” Miller said. “[Bob] said there are going to be times when you want to be angry and do stupid things, but that you need to be level-headed. Race cars always wreck, but he reminded me that’s what the weekdays are for. You can always fix your car during a weekday and get it ready for the weekend.
“He taught me a lot about patience, sportsmanship and hard work.”
Miller quickly developed an intrepid mindset in Legends cars on the West Coast. There were many long days and nights during her first years in the discipline, but she never backed down from adversity and continued to improve with every race.
Miller’s ability to race aggressively but fairly earned her the respect of other drivers. One of them, Chance Overholt, recalled a particular night when Miller was determined to fend him off in front of her home crowd.
“I fought tooth and nail racing hard with [Miller] for fourth in the main event, and we had close to 30 cars,” Overholt said. “She just raced her butt off. I remember going up to her after the race, and she thought I was going to chew her out for something. I told her how impressed I was with how good, clean and hard she raced.”
This post-race conversation between Miller and Overholt ended up spawning a friendship. He took Miller under his wing and is now responsible for building the cars she brings to the track each weekend.
It was Overholt who helped convince Miller to sell her Legend car so they could build a new Modified. Miller knew it was time to take the next step in her career, but she was initially unsure if her success in Legends would carry over into the heavier Modified equipment.
Now in her third year of Modified competition, Miller believes she has found her comfort zone in the discipline with a handful of victories on her resume. Her transition period into Modifieds was not prolonged, which she credits to the Legends cars providing her valuable lessons when it comes to setups and race craft.
“I would consider Modified driving to not be as challenging as Legends car driving,” Miller said. “Legends cars are one of the hardest cars to drive with their shorter wheelbase. Having over 10 years of experience in Legends cars taught me a lot about car control, so [that helped me] when I transitioned over to Modifieds.
“It’s challenging in its own way, but it’s fun.”
Finding cohesion across Legends and Modifieds has validated Miller’s belief in herself to accomplish anything in motorsports despite enduring the plenty of obstacles that included losing her parents at a young age.
Miller is grateful for those who have supported her racing endeavors; people like Cook, Overholt and her brother Carl, who became Miller’s legal guardian when she was 13. Their guidance has enabled Miller to build confidence with herself and adopt a hands-on approach to motorsports like many of her male contemporaries.
Without the influence of Wendell Scott, Miller feels the path to sustainability in racing for herself and other minorities would not be as easy. There are still superfluous critiques Miller deals with on the regular, but she said it’s up to people like herself to show women firmly belong in the motorsports industry.
“As a female driver myself, I’ve had comments made where people have said girls shouldn’t be racing in this sport, or that I did good for a girl,” Miller said. “I hate that, because I don’t want to be seen as a girl; I want to be seen as another driver. [Wendell Scott] has paved the way and opened doors for anyone to do this sport.”
Having been around Miller for years, Overholt knows his long-time friend is never content with settling. The competitive edge is always prevalent with Miller every time she and Overholt are at the track, which is a quality he believes will set her up for success long into the future.
Overholt hopes the Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award opens opportunities for Miller to potentially progress in her career, but he said funding will dictate where she ends up. No matter her trajectory, Overholt envisions Miller maintaining her status as a positive role model for the next generation of female drivers.
“A trailblazer inspires people,” Overholt said. “I know there are a lot of young girls, especially around Meridian Speedway, that really look up to Caity. Even when she travels to Washington to race, it’s really cool to see the young girls flock to her. They think her race car is pretty, but it’s great for these kids to have someone they strive to be one day.”
The primary pieces of advice Miller wishes to impart onto upcoming competitors is to show compassion and great work ethic. For Miller, any information that can be absorbed will only be beneficial in the long term, but being present to assist drivers in need garners respect and trust in the garage area.
Joining drivers like Nick Sanchez, Rajah Caruth and Lanie Buice as a Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award winner is an incredible experience for Miller. She never imagined years of strenuous work would get recognized on a national level, but she is appreciative of the journey and the people who helped her along the way.
Whether she keeps racing at Meridian and the Mill or branches out into other disciplines, Miller intends to carry on Wendell Scott’s legacy while simultaneously carving out her own as a modern trailblazer.
“I want to win more races, but also have fun with the people I race with and my crew,” Miller said. “I want to enjoy spending our weekends at the race track with my friends and family. Hopefully I can keep showing that we can hang with the boys out there.”