Gavin Miller feels like a “whole new person” heading into his second Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series season with Keith Kunz Motorsports.
Compared to the start of his rookie campaign, where he had limited starts in a midget and not much confidence, the Pennsylvania native is lightyears beyond where he was then.
“Last year I was like, I don’t even know if I can hang up front with those guys that I’ve looked up to. But now I go into the race and think, ‘OK, I’m racing against these same guys every night…there’s no reason to stress out about it,’” Miller said. “If I put a whole night together, I should be able to run up front or possibly win now.”
In light of his recent results, it’s not an unreasonable thought, either.
In 2023, Miller won races in Xtreme Outlaw (2), POWRi (2) and USAC (1) competition. He was also named the USAC National Midget Rookie of the Year. His growth on the national midget circuit has been slow and steady over the last year-and-a-half, but in many regards, last year was the most pivotal season yet for the 17-year-old.
“I wanted to perform and show people what I have as a race car driver and show them my talent. A lot of people didn’t see that until maybe halfway through the summer,” Miller said.
His capabilities became difficult to ignore, in ways other than just pure wins. During the 29-race Xtreme Outlaw season, Miller earned 16 top-five finishes and only finished outside the top 10 twice.
Other than fine-tuning his race craft and devoting more of his focus into qualifying up front, Miller believes he’s set up for another strong season. He’ll be at the helm of the No. 97 midget once again, though his crew chief pairing will be different this year. Miller’s former crew chief, Brandon Selph, left KKM at the end of 2023 and moved to the NASCAR scene.
For the time being, Keith Kunz and Kaleb Wyrick, who was Miller’s car chief last year, will be spearheading crew chief duties on the No. 97.
He will also sport a new primary sponsor — Soundgear.
Despite the small changes, Miller is in a comfortable place heading into the Xtreme Outlaw season and has a few stars he’s shooting for.
“I think both me and the team expect the same thing — to win a championship and get a bunch of wins on our way there,” Miller said. “I’m just going step by step right now, so just one day at a time kind of thing.”
The Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series commences March 15-16 at the Southern Illinois Center in Du Quoin, Ill., with the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Showdown.