WELCOME, N.C. (Nov. 3, 2004) -- Richard Childress Racing (RCR) will team rising talent Brandon Miller with 2001 NASCAR Busch Series Champion Kevin Harvick in the No. 21 Reese’s Chevrolet Monte Carlo for the 2005 NASCAR Busch Series season.
The 23-year-old San Diego native will compete in 20 of the season’s 35 races while Harvick will be behind the wheel for the remaining 15 (see below for full schedule). Miller, the 2002 Mesa Marin Track Champion will make his season debut March 19 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Miller will replace Clint Bowyer, who in October was named as the driver of RCR’s No. 2 ACDelco Chevrolet for 2005.
Miller qualified 17th and finished 16th in his NASCAR Busch Series debut with RCR in the Oct. 9 Mr. Goodcents 300 at Kansas Speedway. Earlier this season, Miller qualified the No. 55 Robby Gordon Motorsports Chevrolet in June at Nashville Superspeedway (21st) and Kentucky Speedway (fifth) when Gordon’s NASCAR Cup schedule conflicted with the NASCAR Busch schedule. He also started seventh and finished 20th in the No. 2 NASCAR Truck Series entry Sept. 25 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
“I think Brandon has the talent to be a NASCAR champion one day so teaming him up with Kevin next year will give him the opportunity to learn from a champion while they compete together for the Busch Series owners’ title,” said Richard Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. “We think we have been successful in the way we have set up the Reese’s program, winning the (owner’s) championship last year and being able to move Clint (Bowyer) into the No. 2 car next year. Brandon and Clint give us two strong young drivers to build for the future.”
Miller caught the eye of Bobby Hutchens, RCR’s Vice President of Competition, in 2003 when he qualified sixth and finished eighth in his NASCAR Truck Series debut at Mesa Marin Raceway (Bakersfield, Calif.) in an entry fielded by Kevin Harvick, Inc.
“First of all, I am honored to drive for RCR and represent a company like Hershey and I am just looking forward to learning as much as possible from Kevin Harvick,” said Miller. “For my first year, it is probably better to do a half season and share the car with Harvick as opposed to jumping into a car for a full season. I don’t think being in the car only half the season is going to hurt me at all. I’m looking forward to a good year.”
Miller started racing go-karts at age 12. He won the 1993 U.S. Grand National in Karting while also running the entire European Circuit in Belgium, France, Italy, as well as Japan and Austrailia. He drove in his first Super Late Model stock car race at Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway in 1999. In 2002, he won the Super Late Model Championship at Mesa Marin Raceway on the strength of six victories and seven pole positions. Miller has also competed in the NASCAR Southwest Tour and the NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series.
The 2005 NASCAR Busch Series season will be Reese’s second year as the primary sponsor of the No. 21 team and the third year with primary sponsorship from Hershey. The 2003 PayDay team of Harvick and Johnny Sauter earned the owner-points championship while the 2004 Reese’s team of Harvick and Bowyer is currently fourth in the owner-point standings.