Wyatt Miller. If you don’t know that name by now, you will soon. After all, this 12-year-old speedster is not what you could call your everyday racer. For those still unaware, Wyatt is the youngest child of a certain Kelley Earnhardt-Miller, daughter of our iconic Intimidator, Dale Earnhardt. But that’s not all!

The Man in Black’s grandson has been recently signaling to the world that he just might be the next glowering hope of the infamous Earnhardt clan. Only one man has ever been able to come close to the greatness that emanates from that very name. Kelley’s younger brother, Dale Earnhardt Jr. But Junior’s nephew’s early promise leads many to believe he might go on to eclipse his own uncle’s accolades someday. And the best part? Dale Jr appears fortunate enough to watch it all happen under both his and his sister Kelley’s watchful eyes at JR Motorsports.

The next Earnhardt? Wyatt Miller’s racing roots and immense potential

Many claim to have noticed a fire in Wyatt’s eyes that’s similar to the kind once visible in his iconic grandfather’s eyes. Additionally, his young racing record has been equally impressive in its short span. Until recently, Wyatt made a lot of noise for winning the 2024 Tulsa Shootouot Restricted A-Class Micro championship over 143 drivers on New Year’s Eve. Just like Dale Earnhardt, and Junior after him, this third-generation racing prodigy has been cutting his teeth on dirt tracks since a very early age. Wyatt’s official website claims he “started his career racing winged Outlaw Karts around the Midwest in 2020.”

Since then, the young lad has shown nothing but potential winning many championships across various disciplines. As a result, this has often resulted in a brand of hype that can put a lot of pressure on a developing racer’s delicate career. But quite unsurprisingly, Wyatt is no pushover. With a family heritage as iconic as the sport itself, Kelley’s promising son with three-time Whelen Southern Modified Tour champion husband, LW Miller has proved his mettle, time and time again. And he does it all, just like one would expect–with a smile, and a unique no-nonsense attitude usually not too prevalent in kids his age.

But only this past weekend, Wyatt’s flair was on full display once more as he made a different type of dirt debut. From his Twitter account, he shared, “Walking out of Dirt City Motorplex with two podium finishes in my Championship Off-Road PRO-SPEC debut. Fought hard for a P2 finish today! Thank you to Ryan Beat Motorsports for this opportunity and for putting together a great truck for me to wheel.”  

Besides the fact that he is one of the most highly-touted youth prospects within his uncle and mother’s JRM Motorsports ranks, these are some of the sponsors Miller thanked after claiming the dual P2 at the Dirt City Motorplex in Lena, Wisconsin. “This wouldn’t be possible without my great partners: @bassproshops | @teamchevy | @bilsteinus | @pennzoil | @toyotires | @steelitcoatings | Tremor Wheels | @SunocoRaceFuels” – he acknowledged. Even a non-NASCAR fan could tell that this is no ordinary 12-year-old. To have a portfolio of backers that strong? A driver needs more than just family ties. Instead, he/she requires unending talent and a drive to succeed stronger than anyone the same age. And Wyatt has all that and plenty more. 

He drove in a #73-numbered truck prepped by Chad Boat in both events to finish runners-up in his competitive short course off-track debut. According to Wyatt’s website, the #73 is a tribute to his paternal grandfather who used the same number during his own racing days. Regardless, watching the kid race and then give his post-race interviews is sure to stir memories of an era long gone, when an Earnhardt could be seen in victory lane practically every other week.

Channeling Uncle Dale Earnhardt Jr at the Dirt City Motorplex

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Last year in August NASCAR, Wyatt, Kelley, and LW found themselves part of the ‘NASCAR Kids’ series which intended to introduce the next generation of stock-car racers, related to current NASCAR entities. In a nearly 7-minute video feature, Wyatt’s mom laid out an excellent account of her son, with all but a few words. She had said, “My dad was hardcore aggressive in and out of the race car. Dale [Jr], very reserved, very conservative. Wyatt is like conservative but then aggressive inside the race car. He’s like this mix that when you just see him out here, and you’re like, ‘Oh, okay, that kid races. Oh, okay,’ and then he gets behind there, and he just does things that you’re like, ‘Wow!’ you can get smart and have some fun.”

However, talking to a FloRacing representative following his dual P2 at the AmSoil Dirt City Off-Road Nationals, it almost appeared as if we were watching Dale Earnhardt or Junior himself answering questions to the media. The reporter asked Wyatt about his feelings after the event. And this was his exact response to the question: “Second wasn’t too bad for both nights. It was really fun just hitting jumps and getting through the corner, not trying to bike it up. Did that few times but had a lot of fun.”

And funnily, his answers kept getting shorter as the interaction commenced. When asked if any prior racing experience helped his double run over the weekend, Wyatt simply answered, “A little bit of the Micro helped just getting into the corner. That’s about it.” Confidently ending his interview without any ramblings, Wyatt then admitted that he will look forward to “getting better at shifting” in the upcoming weeks. On that topic, he will make another Champ Off-Road Series appearance on August 10-11 at the Bark River International Raceway in Michigan.

Can he do himself one better when push comes to shove next month? We’re sure he has the tenacity to do it. But let us know your thoughts in the comments below!