Miles Murray began his racing career at four years old. Since then, this track prankster has worked his way up and recently jumped divisions from Young Lions to Pro. Despite the steeper competition, Miles remains focused on the things he can control and stays calm before each race; something that you may not expect from, “The Menace.”
Hometown: Fairfax, Virginia
Division: Pro
Number: 18
Team: THM
1. How did you get into racing?
When I was four years old, I started racing go-karts at Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas, Virginia. My dad rented a little Go-Kart, and I absolutely loved it. After that, he bought me my own, and we started racing at the Government Center in Fairfax County and then worked our way up to King George Speedway. I’ve been racing almost every weekend ever since and would like to do it for as long as I can.
2. What has been your favorite racing memory?
For me it was getting the podium at Daytona. It was about two years ago, and that was the last time I raced a go-kart. So being able to podium there was really special, and is probably my favorite memory.
3. How do you get focused or in the zone before you race?
I know most people like to listen to music and get hyped, but I like to do the opposite. I like to calm down and get into the calmest state I can. Just like when you take a test in school, you are going to perform better when you are not stressed or have that adrenaline pumping. It’s the same way with driving. I want to keep calm rather than getting super hyped up. I just focus on my goals for the race and what I can control.
4. Do you have a favorite track?
I love the Charlotte Roval, the Legends Roval. It’s my favorite track to race on and was the first track that I used outside of Dominion Raceway. I’ve driven Go-Karts for so long, and a Legend Car is pretty much a big go-kart. But Charlotte was the first place that I hopped into a Legend, so it really made that track special.
5. Who is someone you look up to in racing?
My dad is definitely someone I look up to. He has always been there for me, and I know he will continue to be. Also, Kevin Harvick was a huge role model back in the day. He gave me so much great advice that I still use today. My favorite thing he said was, “Go where they’re not,” and I find myself using that in almost every race.
6. What are your ultimate racing goals?
Every kid wants to go to NASCAR, and I would love to. But right now, it’s just about having fun with my dad and family. I think the overarching goal is just to work my way up to something bigger, either a bigger stock car or a Late Model. NASCAR is not something that we could do right now without a lot of help because it is so expensive, so I think for the time being Late Models are my next goal.
7. Would you consider yourself the jokester or class clown at the racetrack?
Oh, 100% yes. Obviously, I love everyone that is involved with Dominion [Raceway]. They are so amazing, but it is still fun to push buttons. My nickname is “The Menace” for a reason. I like to pull little pranks at the track, but thankfully no one has taken in wrong yet. It is really just about having some fun.
8. How do you come back after a crash?
Some of my friends call me “The Wrecking Ball,” because go through everything in the car. I’d say it’s important to take the time to learn what happened rather than being mad at someone or yourself. You have to think about big picture. I’m not going to be able to change what I did or what someone else did to me. I can’t change what happened in the past, so I should just focus on the future. This mentality has definitely saved me a few times.
9. Do you have any hobbies outside of racing?
I’m a student athletic aid at Fairfax High School. That takes up most of my time outside of racing, and then my dad owns a landscaping company, so sometimes I will help him out, as well. But it’s a lot, and it’s super hard to balance all of it with racing. I used to play sports, because I love them, but racing took up all my weekends, so it ended up not being fair to the teams I was on. This way with my job, I can kind of plan my schedule but still get to be around athletics which I love.
10. How do you have to change the way you attack a race or plan it on road course compared to asphalt?
For road course, you have to be super calm because of how fast things happen. For oval you get in a rhythm, and you can kind of plan on what things are going to happen. If you asked me which I liked better a year ago I would lean completely to road course. I always loved road course because I came from it, but now I’m starting to really like the oval. I just won the track championship at Dominion Raceway, and I really have been loving oval driving. I just like how it’s always the same and you know what to expect. I will say though, I am still better and more comfortable going to a track I don’t know if it’s road course. So, although right now I’d say I still lean more towards road course, it has been shifting and I think that it will continue to do so towards oval. It’s a whole new world for me, and it’s opened my eyes a lot.
11. Where did the number 18 come from?
I’ve always been 18. I drove 67 for a little bit when we bought a car from Joe Ryan. We never switched decals because I jumped right into the Legend Car, so I was 67 for a few months and won a little bit with it as well. But once that new season started, I got a new wrap and got 18 back because I’ve had that number since I was four. What inspired me to be 18 was Kyle Bush, and I even used to have M&Ms on everything as well. Also, my initials are MM, so it just worked out well.
12. Asphalt at Dominion and Road course at Dominion, if they built a dirt course would you try to race it?
I’d love to do dirt, but I just don’t know enough about it. I probably would try to do it at Dominion if they had it. I feel like with some of the connections there and some practice I’d feel comfortable giving it a go. It would be fun to do in a Legend Car, but probably nothing else.
13. What challenges have you faced moving up divisions?
I went from Young Lions to Pro, and it’s been challenging. The huge jump from divisions has really made me step up. Not only are the lap times faster but the competition is larger too. Young Lions is very spread out, but in Pro, the top 15 are all close together no matter what. It’s super hard and the drivers don’t give any room. It’s easy to make passes in Young Lions but not easy in Pro, so it’s been a lot of learning.
14. If you could drive any race car on any track, which car and what track would you choose?
I would definitely choose a Legend Car on the Charlotte Roval. I’ve had my highest highs and my lowest lows there. It’s just so much fun and so rewarding and being able to go there and just fight with everyone to find that last tenth. I like having fun and I think the Legend Car there is a lot of fun.