View source for Chet Miller

{{Short description|American racing driver (1902–1953)}}
{{Infobox racing driver
| name              = Chet Miller
| image             =Chet_Miller-1934.png 
| caption           =Miller in 1934 
| birth_name        = Chester Joseph Miller
| birth_date        = {{Birth date|1902|07|19}}
| birth_place       = [[Detroit, Michigan]], U.S.
| death_date        = {{Death date and age|1953|05|15|1902|07|19}}
| death_place       = [[Speedway, Indiana]], U.S.
| module1 = 
  {{Infobox Champ Car driver|embed=yes
  | Total_Champ_Races = 29
  | Years_In_Champ    = 20
  | Best_Champ_Pos    = 3rd ([[1938 AAA Championship Car season|1938]])
  | First_Champ_Race  = [[1930 AAA Championship Car season|1930]] [[1930 Indianapolis 500|Indianapolis 500]] ([[Indianapolis Motor Speedway|Indianapolis]])
  | Last_Champ_Race   = [[1952 AAA Championship Car season|1952]] [[1952 Indianapolis 500|Indianapolis 500]] ([[Indianapolis Motor Speedway|Indianapolis]])
  | Champ_Wins        = 0
  | Champ_Podiums     = 2
  | Champ_Poles       = 0
| module2 = 
  {{Infobox F1 driver|embed=yes
  | Years             = {{F1|1950}}–{{F1|1953}}
  | Team(s)           = [[Kurtis Kraft]]
  | Races             = 4 (2 starts)
  | Championships     = 0
  | Wins              = 0
  | Podiums           = 0
  | Points            = 0
  | Poles             = 0
  | Fastest laps      = 0
  | First race        = [[1950 Indianapolis 500]]
  | Last race         = [[1953 Indianapolis 500]]
}}}}}}

'''Chester Joseph Miller''' (July 19, 1902 – May 15, 1953)<ref name=mem>{{Cite web |title=Motorsport Memorial - Chet Miller |url=http://www.motorsportmemorial.org/focus.php?db=ct&n=534|access-date=21 March 2023 |website=Motorsport Memorial}}</ref> was an American [[racing driver]]. He was killed in a crash in the south turn of the [[Indianapolis Motor Speedway]] during practice for the [[1953 Indianapolis 500]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Allen |title=Chet Miller |url=https://www.oldracingcars.com/driver/Chet_Miller |access-date=2024-01-30 |website=OldRacingCars.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name="yates">[[Brock Yates|Yates, Brock W.]] "The Indianapolis 500: The Story of the Motor Speedway." Harper and Brothers: New York. 1956. Page 67.</ref> During his long Indianapolis racing career, Miller earned the nickname "Dean of the Speedway."

Miller died at age 50 while driving a [[Novi engine|Novi-engined]] Special.<ref name="yates" /> He is interred at [[Crown Hill Cemetery]] (Community Mausoleum, B-19-A) in [[Indianapolis]].<ref name="Crown Hill Autos">{{cite news|url=http://www.crownhillhf.org/docs/IndianapolisAutoGreatsHandout.pdf |title=Indianapolis Auto greats |publisher=[[Crown Hill Cemetery]] |work=Celebrating Automotive Heritage at Crown Hill Cemetery |date=2011 |accessdate=2012-09-10 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120913203018/http://crownhillhf.org/docs/IndianapolisAutoGreatsHandout.pdf |archivedate=2012-09-13 }}</ref>

== World Drivers' Championship career ==

The [[AAA Contest Board|AAA]]/[[United States Auto Club|USAC]]-sanctioned Indianapolis 500 was included in the [[Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile|FIA]] [[List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions|World Drivers' Championship]] from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indianapolis during those years were credited with World Drivers' Championship participation, and were eligible to score WDC points alongside those which they may have scored towards the [[AAA Contest Board|AAA]]/[[United States Auto Club|USAC]] [[List of American open-wheel racing national champions|National Championship]].

Miller participated in two World Drivers' Championship races at Indianapolis. His best finish was 25th place,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chet Miller |url=http://www.champcarstats.com/drivers/MillerChet.htm |access-date=2024-01-30 |website=www.champcarstats.com}}</ref> and he scored no World Drivers' Championship points.

Upon Miller's death during practice for the [[1953 Indianapolis 500]], he became the first racing driver to die as a result of an accident during a World Drivers' Championship event.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-04-07 |title=Deaths in Formula One {{!}} Formula 1 {{!}} F1 features {{!}} ESPN.co.uk |url=http://en.espn.co.uk/f1/motorsport/story/3838.html |access-date=2024-04-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150407012625/http://en.espn.co.uk/f1/motorsport/story/3838.html |archive-date=2015-04-07 }}</ref>

== Motorsports career results ==

=== Indianapolis 500 results ===

{{col-begin|width=auto}}
{{col-break}}
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!Year
!Car
!Start
!Qual
!Rank
!Finish
!Laps
!Led
!Retired
|-
![[1930 Indianapolis 500|1930]]
|41
|15
|97.360
|23
|13
|161
|0
|Flagged
|-
![[1931 Indianapolis 500|1931]]
|27
|15
|106.185
|25
|10
|200
|0
|Running
|-
![[1932 Indianapolis 500|1932]]
|9
|29
|111.053
|23
|21
|125
|0
|Engine
|-
![[1933 Indianapolis 500|1933]]
|28
|32
|112.025
|23
|20
|163
|0
|Rod
|-
![[1934 Indianapolis 500|1934]]
|46
|32
|109.252
|29
|33
|11
|0
|Crash T1
|-
![[1935 Indianapolis 500|1935]]
|34
|17
|113.552
|24
|10
|200
|0
|Running
|-
![[1936 Indianapolis 500|1936]]
|18
|3
|117.675
|3
|5
|200
|0
|Running
|-
![[1937 Indianapolis 500|1937]]
|7
|13
|119.213
|13
|30
|36
|0
|Ignition
|-
![[1938 Indianapolis 500|1938]]
|3
|5
|121.898
|9
|style="background:#ffdf9f;"| '''3rd'''
|200
|0
|Running
|-
![[1939 Indianapolis 500|1939]]
|3
|5
|126.318
|8
|21
|109
|0
|Crash BS
|-
![[1940 Indianapolis 500|1940]]
|34
|27
|121.392
|27
|17
|189
|0
|Flagged
|-
![[1941 Indianapolis 500|1941]]
|41
|9
|121.540
|23
|6
|200
|0
|Running
|-
![[1946 Indianapolis 500|1946]]
|5
|17
|124.649
|8
|18
|64
|0
|Oil line
|-
![[1948 Indianapolis 500|1948]]
|31
|19
|127.249
|8
|20
|108
|0
|Oil trouble
|-
![[1951 Indianapolis 500|1951]]
|32
|28
|135.798
|3
|25
|56
|0
|Ignition
|-
![[1952 Indianapolis 500|1952]]
|21
|27
|139.034
|''1''
|30
|41
|0
|Supercharger
|-
|colspan=6|'''Totals'''
|2063
|0
|
|}
{{col-break|gap=1em}}
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!Starts
|16
|-
!Poles
|0
|-
!Front Row
|1
|-
!Wins
|0
|-
!Top 5
|2
|-
!Top 10
|5
|-
!Retired
|9
|}
{{col-end}}

* Although Miller posted the fastest qualifying time for the [[1952 Indianapolis 500]], he started on the outside of the ninth row. No other fastest qualifier has started this far back in the field.
* Miller raced 2,061 laps, or {{Convert|5152.5|mi|km}} at Indianapolis without leading a lap, an all-time record.

=== FIA World Drivers' Championship results ===

([[:Template:F1 driver results legend 2|key]]) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%"
! Year
! Chassis
! Engine
! 1
! 2
! 3
! 4
! 5
! 6
! 7
! 8
! 9
! WDC
! Points
|-
| [[1950 Formula One season|1950]]
! [[Kurtis Kraft]] 
! [[Offenhauser]] [[Straight-4|L4]] 
| [[1950 British Grand Prix|GBR]]
| [[1950 Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]
|style="background:#ffcfcf;"| [[1950 Indianapolis 500|500]]<br>{{small|DNQ}}
| [[1950 Swiss Grand Prix|SUI]]
| [[1950 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]
| [[1950 French Grand Prix|FRA]]
| [[1950 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]
| 
| 
! NC
! 0
|-
| [[1951 Formula One season|1951]]
! [[Kurtis Kraft]]
! [[Offenhauser]] [[Straight-4|L4]]
| [[1951 Swiss Grand Prix|SUI]]
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1951 Indianapolis 500|500]]<br>{{small|25}}
| [[1951 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]
| [[1951 French Grand Prix|FRA]]
| [[1951 British Grand Prix|GBR]]
| [[1951 German Grand Prix|GER]]
| [[1951 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]
| [[1951 Spanish Grand Prix|ESP]]
|
! NC
! 0
|-
| [[1952 Formula One season|1952]]
! [[Kurtis Kraft]] 
! [[Offenhauser]] [[Straight-4|L4]]
| [[1952 Swiss Grand Prix|SUI]]
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1952 Indianapolis 500|500]]<br>{{small|30}}
| [[1952 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]
| [[1952 French Grand Prix|FRA]]
| [[1952 British Grand Prix|GBR]]
| [[1952 German Grand Prix|GER]]
| [[1952 Dutch Grand Prix|NED]]
| [[1952 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]
|  
! NC
! 0
|-
| [[1953 Formula One season|1953]]
! [[Kurtis Kraft]]  
! [[Offenhauser]] [[Straight-4|L4]]
| [[1953 Argentine Grand Prix|ARG]]
|style="background:#ffcfcf;"| [[1953 Indianapolis 500|500]]<br>{{small|DNQ}}
| [[1953 Dutch Grand Prix|NED]]
| [[1953 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]
| [[1953 French Grand Prix|FRA]]
| [[1953 British Grand Prix|GBR]]
| [[1953 German Grand Prix|GER]]
| [[1953 Swiss Grand Prix|SUI]]
| [[1953 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]
! NC
! 0
|}

== References ==

{{Reflist}}

{{S-start}}
{{Succession box|title=[[List of Formula One fatal accidents|Formula One fatal accidents]] |before=[[Cameron Earl]]|after=[[Charles de Tornaco]]|years=May 15, 1953}}
{{S-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Chet}}
[[Category:Indianapolis 500 drivers]]
[[Category:Racing drivers who died while racing]]
[[Category:1902 births]]
[[Category:1953 deaths]]
[[Category:Racing drivers from Detroit]]
[[Category:Sports deaths in Indiana]]
[[Category:AAA Championship Car drivers]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:Burials at Crown Hill Cemetery]]