Leonard T. Miller facts for kids

Pilot and auto racing team owner Leonard T. Miller

Leonard T. Miller is an amazing person from Lawrenceville, New Jersey. He graduated from Morehouse College in 1983 with a degree in Business Administration. Leonard Miller has achieved many great things. He is known for his work in flying planes, in car racing, and as a writer.

Flying High: Leonard Miller's Aviation Journey

Learning to Fly: From Passion to Pilot

Leonard Miller loved flying from a young age. When he was just 14, he dreamed of soaring through the sky. After finishing college, he earned his private pilot's license. He learned to fly at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport in Atlanta, using a Cessna 152 plane. His first flight teacher was a former member of the famous Tuskegee Airmen.

Building Flight Hours and Skills

To become a commercial pilot, Miller needed more flight experience. He took a job as a salesman for Frito Lay in Philadelphia. This helped him pay for the extra flight training he needed. He trained at Mercer County Airport in Trenton, New Jersey. To get more hours in the air, he flew a small plane. He even broadcast live traffic reports for radio station WHWH in Princeton, New Jersey. Later, he flew cargo planes at night across the eastern United States. He worked for Flight Group, Inc. in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, flying a twin-engine Cessna 310-R.

Flying for Major Airlines

In 1987 and 1988, Miller worked as a pilot for Alleghany Airlines and Business Express. He flew a Shorts 360 plane. This allowed him to travel to many airports in the northeastern United States. In 1989, he joined United Airlines. He started as a flight engineer on a DC-10 plane. Later, he became a pilot for larger planes. He has flown the Boeing 737, 757, 767, and 777. His flights have taken him all over the world. He has flown across North America, Central America, South America, the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

Speed and Success: Miller Racing Group

A Family Legacy in Auto Racing

Besides flying, Leonard T. Miller is also a leader in auto racing. He is the president of Miller Racing Group, Inc. (MRG). This racing team was started by his father, Leonard W. Miller. His father was the first African American to enter a team in the famous Indianapolis 500 race in 1972.

Breaking Barriers in NASCAR

Since the mid-1990s, MRG has focused on having African American drivers. They have competed in major races like NASCAR, ARCA, and Formula BMW Americas. Big companies like General Motors, Dr Pepper, and Sunoco have sponsored their team. On July 7, 2001, Miller's team helped Dr Pepper get its first corporate win. This happened at the Coastal Plains Speedway in Jacksonville, North Carolina. In 2003, he received the "Trailblazer Award." This award recognized his efforts to help African American drivers in motorsports.

Making History with a Championship Win

Leonard Miller and his father made history together. They were the first African American team owners to win a track championship in NASCAR. This happened during the 2005 season in the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series. Their driver, Franklin Butler, raced their Chevrolet car at Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas, Virginia. In 2006, Miller also brought a champion go-kart driver, Joel Jackson, from Jamaica. Joel competed in Formula BMW Americas races in the U.S. and Canada.

Telling Stories: Leonard Miller as an Author

From Book to Screenplay

Leonard Miller helped turn his father's life story into a screenplay. His father's autobiography was called Silent Thunder. In 2007, this screenplay was a top finalist. It was chosen from 1700 entries in an international contest.

Writing About Important Events

In September 2001, Miller wrote a short story called "Stranded: A Pilot’s Story." This story was part of a book titled 09/11, 8:48am: Documenting America’s Greatest Tragedy. The book was later featured in a play in London, England.

Sharing His Racing Story

Miller also wrote his own book about auto racing. It's called Racing While Black: How An African-American Stock Car Team Made Its Mark On NASCAR. He wrote it with Andrew Simon, a senior editor from ESPN: The Magazine. The book was published in February 2010. AutoWeek magazine even listed Racing While Black as one of the top books to read in 2010.

Leonard Miller and his racing team have been featured in many well-known publications. These include The New York Times, AutoWeek, USA Today, and Reuters news service.