Norman Miller
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DRIVER INFORMATION
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| Driver name: |
Norman Miller |
| Residence: |
Warren, Oregon |
| Birthplace: |
Garberville, California |
| Date of birth: |
July 8, 1967 |
| Years competing: |
Since 1990 |
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DRIVER HISTORY
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He’s a career police officer who is now driving Batman™ in Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam®. It seems pretty clear that the black truck named after the crime-fighting superhero is the perfect fit for Norman Miller. In a monster truck racing career that dates back to 1990, Miller has been behind the wheel and thrilling crowds as the driver of some of the most famous machines in the sport’s history. He and his father formed a family motorsports team, competing in mud racing and in truck pulling, before he got his first opportunity to drive a monster truck. Miller has had successful stints driving a variety of trucks, including Grave Digger®, Blue Thunder®, Black Smith, Bearfoot, and now Batman. Along with rocking houses as a competitor at Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam events, Miller has had a long career in law enforcement. He is employed as a Lieutenant in his local police department. Miller took a break from competition for a couple of years, but couldn’t turn down the opportunity to return to the sport where he has enjoyed thrilling so many fans for so many years.
Q&A with Norman Miller
MonsterJam.com: How did you get started competing on the Monster Jam circuit?
Norman Miller: Actually, it was watching a car crush in Portland, Oregon. I think that I was 13 years old at the time. I told my dad then that I wanted to drive one of those, someday.
MonsterJam.com: What do you enjoy most about being on the road with Monster Jam?
Norman Miller: The fans. I mean it is such a blast to see all the kids and to talk to people that you’ve never met before. I do this for fun. I have a real job, but I have a blast doing this. That’s why I keep coming back. I’ll say that I don’t need to do this anymore, I’ve done it all, but it’s so much fun. It’s just a blast to come do the shows, to hang out with everybody, to hear the fans cheering what you do. You are put in this place and given a golden opportunity to be able to be one of these drivers and put smiles on people’s faces. My motto is: “I’m proud to be allowed.”
MonsterJam.com: What do you do with your free time?
Norman Miller: My free time is spent with my daughter, Alisha, who races quarter midgets. She’s already won championships and been named Driver of the Year. So she and my wife, Amy, and I travel together, doing that in the summers. It’s a lot of fun, a family-oriented thing.
MonsterJam.com: What is your greatest memory as a monster truck driver?
Norman Miller: I’d have to say getting to drive Blue Thunder in Pontiac, Michigan, in front of all of the Ford people, and that huge crowd, and actually going out there and winning it. That meant a lot, especially to the fans there who were from Detroit. That was huge, but there’s also a list of things that were awesome in my career: like getting the seat in Grave Digger. I never thought that would happen. I never thought I’d be put in the seat of Bearfoot. It’s been a great career. I really have nothing bad to look back on.
MonsterJam.com: Do you have any pre-show rituals that you run though?
Norman Miller: I like to go out and take a good look at the track before we start. I like to stand in the corner and just gaze over the track to see what everything looks like, what kind of obstacles are there, how the course lays out. I like to do that in pre-show and let it roll through my head, then go out there and do my best and make the people go home happy.
MonsterJam.com: If you were not competing on the Monster Jam tour, what career path would you follow?
Norman Miller: I’ve always wanted to be in law enforcement. I’ve been in it for more than 20 years and I love it. It’s exciting, it’s fulfilling. You’re going out there trying to make a difference in your community. Every day is different. I mean you are going from one call to another call, and then maybe you won’t have any calls. Every day is different. I’m actually second in command as Lieutenant; so there is just the Chief above me, and I’m looking to become a Chief, one day. And this is the town that I grew up in. I went to school here and I’ve been part of the community for a long time. It’s an adrenaline thing for me.
MonsterJam.com: What’s your favorite food?
Norman Miller: Mexican
MonsterJam.com: What’s your favorite movie?
Norman Miller: Bad Boys
MonsterJam.com: What’s your favorite television show?
Norman Miller: Rules of Engagement
MonsterJam.com: What’s your favorite color?
Norman Miller: Blue
TRUCK INFO Truck Name: Batman™
Body: Custom Concept
Engine size: 540 CI
Transmission: Coan 2-Speed
Sponsors: Advance Auto Parts, Arsenault Associates, ARP Automotive Products, Auto Meter, Awesome Racewear, Cam 2 Racing Oil, Coan, Crower Racing Products, Derale Performance, Energy Suspension, Fel-Pro Performance Gaskets, FK Rod Ends, Hawk Performance, Jaz Products, K & N Filters, King Engine Bearings, Lincoln Welders, Liquid Advanced Technology, Magnaflow Performance, Mechanix Wear, MSD Ignition, NGK Spark Plugs, Optima Batteries, Piloti, TX7, Powermaster, Rockford Rosgate, Speed Pro, Universal Technical Institute, Walker Radiator Works, WISECO, World Products
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