Adam Torres and Greg Miller discuss racing and PRI.
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Show Notes:
Keystone Raceway Park is a ¼ mile drag racing complex located in New Alexandria, Pennsylvania. In this episode, Adam Torres and Greg Miller, President at Keystone Raceway, explore racing, PRI and the book Greg will be releasing with Mission Matters and Trackside Systems.
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About Greg Miller
Miller has his own long history there, working at the track since he was 14 years old. He started full-time when former track owner Michael Tedesco took over and at the end of 2012, Miller became the owner.
“It was one of those things where being a part of it so long, it becomes a part of you,” Miller said. “Being able to keep it open, to keep it going strong, that’s my focus.”
He also knows the thrill of having raced there, going down the track in a 1968 Camaro with a 468 cubic-inch motor, and his son races a 1988 Camaro. His own experience behind the wheel is a big reason he’s such a proponent of the IHRA Summit SuperSeries, which gives track champions a chance to compete in the IHRA Summit SuperSeries World Championship each October in Memphis.
“The Summit SuperSeries is such a great program for the local racers,” Miller said. “It gives them the chance to participate on a national level. For those guys to go down and have a chance to be a World Champion, that’s a big deal.”.
Full Unedited Transcript
Hey, I’d like to welcome you to another episode of Mission Matters. My name is Adam Torres and I’m proud to announce that we’re at Indianapolis at the PRI show, biggest motor sports event as a country. And today my guest is Greg Miller over at Keystone. First off, Hey Greg, I just want to say walking the show.
Thank you. So Greg one of the reasons I’m excited to have you on this show today is I wanted you to know more about Keystone, of course, but I also want to get to know about PRI and we’re going to know about the racing industry and really give my audience a glimpse into the world of racing from an expert like yourself.
So first off, Skittles Piggy Dog, how did you get started in the racing profession and sport? It’s something really convenient. I started modding sheet feelers and back In order to lead them to desire. Only people who are in need of food only. It’s the community and loved ones who bring their community.
It’s not workers, it’s communities. So what do you guys stand in this for in the community of Wollongong? Like what excites you about it? It’s the family and the community and all people because so it’s a family It’s a family. It’s a community. It’s a family. There’s Jed Ranger, and he did race at the Famine, so that’s something that’s well for a lot of them.
We’re at it to this, you see the drag trucks and the little white people together. It is upside down. We’re going to do a two kid summit out here later on. I enjoy it, and I love white women. The kids do a lot, and certainly so does the team. I’ve had a little race with them for a while. I’ve been wanting to put them on the race season.
Yeah, it’s Stuff like that. You’d like to be in a car and they’re lying on a theory. She’d go off. Wow. So four generations. What’s that like growing up in a, in a racing family? It’s just something big. It’s, everybody grows up. And just like the commercials on TV, can’t stop you from being your parents, you know, literally.
And so watching, you know, you can’t believe that, but it’s self explanatory. Wow. Congratulations. It’s been a grassroots race back in the day of the National Bells and other things. It’s this driven by race and hearing things and all the big words, deep and dark family employment. So what do you run?
Tell us a little more specific. It’s a drought trip. It’s loans and we have thrown them outside. Don’t you send me every bizarre and You know we’re stitching. It’s it’s just one of a lot of amazing things. They’re like, they’re atrophies. And they’re remedializing, so we’re So, one of the things that I’ve found in NOAA is I’m getting a little closer to the score and understanding.
So, Jason, you’ve been working with me. You’ve been teaching me some of the the digitization of these erase tracks. Like, what does that mean for the business? Well, motor sports in general has been a very part of his life. There’s been a technology and with track side, the woman has been a very huge help with being organized with today’s society.
A lot of young men, we’ve been to a battle more probably to our travel program. And if there’s either a civil action, Draw the right area. It’s a facility sponsored just like she’s rushing. It’s their best submitting. No, I’m very thinking about them more. Well, so there’s flexible like technology that would you would wait?
Get out on one feeding. Try it with me. Neither that I used to.
So a lot of business owners, a lot of entrepreneurs, a lot of executives watch this show, and I’m always interested to learn about new, new areas of entrepreneurship. What’s it like running a track? Well, as a lot of businesses, you always look in that survey and try to make the best of it and build it as big as possible.
The drag strip, any type of motorsport. It’s so challenging because you never have full control. So you’re dealing with Mother Nature, you’re dealing with everything else family events, other events nearby. So it makes it tough. So it’s the challenge of operating art. We’re being real to make it. Give me an idea here.
I’m just trying to picture this. So like, any given, any given season, how many people come to the sand stand? is here. But he could go from something so you can go up to 10, 000 and the drought my God little man and then we always go on the or open so make things better So obviously multiple generations of in the race car business.
What excites you right now? It could be the cars, the tracks, technology, just in general. What excites you right now about Rayco? I would say, just everything else. I would say even coming together. Having goals of where you want to be in the business. You know, right now the world is as wireless as that. I think that’s what changed on me.
Maybe puts the work, the assignment, the work, the attitude, yeah, and with, yeah, and so first, one of the for my viewers, so I, I was in a couple of panels that, that Jason did and or a couple of events that Jason put together from trackside and, and Greg was one of those panels and I know from what at least I’ve watched from afar is somebody that’s like pushing, pushing the vision, pushing like what’s next and also and also like what can be done in the racetrack and so that being said, yeah, What is your vision for what do you hope for Chief Stone being involved?
coNtinue to grow. Make it a facility you see the want to be at. And we’ll just make them in on the matters of freedom and stuff like that. It’s just growing the business, getting the people there, building the family, making things diverse. And overall, you know, having is, it’s very hard. Everybody will have that memory.
Growing up there, you hear so many stories of, Oh, when I was a kid, I used to live there, and they referenced stuff like that. So, that’s the way I grew up. Nobody could get it right. So, one of the things that I’ve noticed is, as I’ve been around here now I think I’m four or five interviews in on this particular series.
A lot of the, the word community seems, you know, to themselves all the time. What does community mean to you? It’s good that for year in essence, anything that you got that on track, everybody’s there. Yeah, it does Louder than employer. It is, you know, for us it’s a, er has an issue. Race, power wise, everybody’s there.
Well, it’s not like glue and you growth on, on, he’s being stuff like that. But actually I made it personal. Unfortunately, some assassinate, something, stage a breakout, something like that, further, boundary, everybody’s like, disappointed. That, hold on, there’s something you’re such fond of. Oh, I was the Yeah, I think it’s interesting because I, for me, I mean, this is my first year out to PRI, but it won’t be my last year.
I’m already, I already said it, like, year one, okay, I’m the new guy here. Next year somebody else is gonna be there year one. I’ll be here too. So, how are you coming up to Carriot? Actually, it used to be in Florida. In the interweb years. Probably years later on. 5, 10, what do you think? I guess. Wow. What, what, what draws you to come back?
What brings you back, year after year? The relationships, a lot of. With other racetracks and facilities. You only get to see him one half of the year because we’re all in our early stages of selling. Some of my years, they’ve received early on, based on the other youth partners, sponsors, and stuff like that.
We build meetings, talk to the facilitator man, and keep the connections and everything. Yeah, I was thinking about it, because that particular one where you were on the panel that I watched a lot of racetrack winners in that room and I’m thinking to myself, wow, this is where you finally get to talk shop and even if it’s the, oh my gosh, they did that or this, and like you have that, that confidentiality or that connection or that bond with those other racetrack owners.
Yeah, I try to share, you know, with them and being a new sharer. Awesome. Everybody’s so pedantic. I mean, where it works for one track might not work for another. But it creates things that other people. I’m up with that you’ve been given a lot or so that help you as well. So it’s nice to get together over stuff.
The United West and in Tibet and that’s awesome. Well, Greg, Hey, I just want to say thank you for coming on the show today. It’s been a lot of fun and I know I’m going to be working with you and getting to know more about you, your story and deep stone. That being said, if somebody wants to learn more about Keystone raceway and just follow your journey, what’s the best life for them?
I’m on their website. He’s somebody so far back on the letter or priest. Fantastic. And wait for the audience. We’ll put all that information in the show notes so that you can just click on the links and go check out the sites. And speaking of the audience, if this is your first time with Mission Matters, don’t forget, hit that subscribe button.
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