FOR 2009 STAR MAZDA CHAMPIONSHIP
Hesperia, California (March 13, 2009) -- After narrowly missing out on the Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear title in his rookie season, Joel Miller has announced that he will return to the highly-competitive junior formula car series in 2009. As part of a talented driver line-up at JDC Motorsports, one that features fellow returning series standouts Alex Ardoin and Caio Lara, as well as Masters class race winner Gerry Kraut and Michael Guasch, the Californian will seek to add to his win total en route to providing the Minnesota-based squad its second championship crown in three years.
Miller enters his second season of Star Mazda not only as a series race winner and championship contender, but having also established himself as one the leading up-and-coming American drivers in the junior formula car ranks. First getting behind the wheel via local kart racing, Miller quickly became not only one of the leading karters on the Pacific Coast, but in all of North America. This culminated in 2006, when he captured the Stars of Karting Intercontinental A National Championship title.
At the same time as he was making mark in karting, Miller was also getting his feet wet in formula car competition, running selected races in the Skip Barber National series thanks to a scholarship he received at the 2006 shootout. Miller’s big break came as a result of his championship performances in the Stars of Karting, as the series awarded him a full-season Skip Barber Scholarship which gave him the opportunity to race full-time in 2007, and he promptly made the most of the opportunity, capturing the series title via a series-high five wins.
Almost immediate following his title-winning campaign, Miller traveled to Europe as a Team USA Scholarship winner, where he enjoyed a strong run in the Formula Palmer Audi Autumn Trophy. Last year, as member of the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Driver Development Ladder program, Miller won once and finished on the podium seven times as a Star Mazda Championship rookie, only missing out on the series title at the season finale.
Miller and the entire JDC MotorSports crew are currently finishing preparations for the 2009 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear season, which commences on March 20 at Sebring International Raceway, as part of the historic 12 Hours of Sebring event.
Star Mazda Championship action at Sebring begins with test sessions starting Monday, March 16. Qualifying to set the starting grid takes place from 1:45 pm to 2:30 pm, Thursday, March 19. The 45-minute Round One of the 2009 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear season is set to take the green flag at 3:55 pm, Friday, March 20.
