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“Rest in Peace”: Jimmie Johnson’s Former Ally Passing Away Leaves NASCAR Community Mourning
Riding motorcycles until he was 8, Johnson moved up to the Mickey Thompson Off-Road Stadium Series, where his mentor, Rick Johnson, arranged a meeting with Herb Fishel. After all, that 1993 meeting with the now-former executive director of General Motors Racing was what led Jimmie Johnson to someone he quickly realized was “a parent of some sort” to him.
Herb Fishel introduced Alan Miller – who was his lawyer at the time – to Jimmie Johnson, asking him to guide the teenager. As reported by Sports Illustrated, Miller recalled, “Herb introduced me to Jimmie at an off-road truck race, and within a year or two, Jimmie had become like a son to me… He’d met the Herzog Brothers in off-road, [so] I went to Milwaukee, negotiated, and bought an ASA [stock car] team for them.” But what’s so significant moment about that moment, you’d think?
That was Jimmie’s ticket into ASA, which led to the Nationwide (now Xfinity) Series and, subsequently, the Cup Series. But did you know Miller also played a role in Johnson’s comeback in 2023?
Having negotiated all of Johnson’s contracts for over 30 years, Alan Miller was the brains behind the conversion of Petty GMS Racing to Legacy Motor Club. Throughout his time in the Cup Series, Johnson drove for Hendrick Motorsports. But when he wanted to return last year, the winningest team wasn’t an option, considering NASCAR allows an organization to have a maximum of just four cars.
After “casual conversations” with Trackhouse Racing that didn’t materialize into anything, a mutual connection between Miller and Johnson emerged in Petty GMS. Who was it?
Let’s go back to Johnson’s meeting with Fishel. A couple of years after he signed Jimmie to a GM contract, they came across the Herzog brothers, who wanted to get into pavement racing. That’s where Alan Miller came in.
Eric Jones. It turns out that Miller represented both Johnson and Jones. “When this opportunity came along, it really came through the offices of Alan Miller,” Johnson said, as reported by The Athletic. Explaining that Michael Bill had been handling things in Miller’s office, the 49-year-old added, “As Michael learned about my desires to continue to drive and to try to find a different way to be involved in the sport, he said, ‘I feel like there’s an opportunity here that really makes sense on both sides.’ That was the catalyst and start of it.”
And on October 20, 2024, Johnson had to say goodbye to him one final time.
“Alan became an advisor, friend, and mentor over 30 years ago… he truly looked after me as if I was one of his own,” Jimmie Johnson wrote about Alan Miller after his passing. Aged 87, he died of natural causes, but not without leaving a lasting impression on the seven-time Cup Series champion.
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Now, Legacy Motors Club has been racing in the Cup Series for two seasons, with Erik Jones (No. 43) and John Hunter Nemechek (No. 42) running full-time and Jimmie Johnson (No. 84) running select races. Had it not been for Alan Miller, it may not have existed. That said, the professional football player-turned-lawyer wasn’t a stranger to the NASCAR garage besides his connection to Jimmie Johnson.
Miller’s sphere of influence was spread across the sport, with his law firm representing the likes of Erik Jones, Clint Bowyer, Kurt Busch, Casey Mears, David Gilliland, Danica Patrick, and Helio Castroneves. But even before he delved into the NASCAR scene, he was affiliated with the sporting world.
Miller started his career playing college football, and he made it to the senior level. Pursuing law and professional football wasn’t something he could focus on at the same time, so he put a pause on his passion for football. However, he did return to his favored playing ground as a General Counsel to the AFL Player’s Association from 1965 to 1970.
Alan had a successful amateur racing career; he raced in the Central Division, SCCA CSR, and won the championship. And his fondness for auto racing would open the doors for him to get connected to the NASCAR world. His work ethic and relationships extended beyond his professional expertise. This was evident from the response of the drivers he worked with, along with the fans who poured in with the condolence messages.
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A former Ferrari engineer has criticised the decision to bring in Lewis Hamilton and thinks the Brit’s presence will mean “a lot of potential for drama”.
At the age of 40, seven-time Formula 1 champion Hamilton will form a formidable driver partnership with Charles Leclerc. His big switch comes at the expense of Carlos Sainz, who has performed well for the Italian squad but who was axed so they had room for their blockbuster new signing.
But not everyone of a Ferrari persuasion is convinced that it will go well. Ernest Knoors, who spent many years as an engineer at Maranello, specialising in power units, worries that Hamilton’s presence could do more harm than good for a team that is finding its groove under Frederic Vasseur.
“A big name like Hamilton also brings a lot of politics and if politics within Ferrari are not managed well, then there is a lot of potential for drama,” he told Formule1.nl. “Hamilton has the tendency that if things do not work out, he turns his whole car upside down and starts experimenting.
“Ferrari believes very much in the big personalities and will follow him. But Hamilton is just someone you have to guide a little bit and not give the freedom to rebuild the whole car, because then it will go completely wrong. So I do not know if it is such a smart move, but of course it is nice for the sport.”
News of Hamilton’s planned move broke on February 1, coinciding with football’s Transfer Deadline Day. That the back pages of many newspapers were dominated by the decision of Hamilton to swap Mercedes for Ferrari was testament to the magnitude of the announcement.
Sainz was not surprised as he had been informed by his team of the plan ahead of it being made public. But the Spaniard responded well with two victories to date this season and five further appearances on the podium, on the way to what looks likely to be a fifth-placed finish in the championship – two spots and 54 points ahead of Hamilton.
Sainz has signed for Williams next year and, after several years of running at the front of the grid, will focus on his new challenge of helping restore one of the grid’s most historic teams to its former glory. But Knoors believes he should have been kept on by Ferrari instead.
The Dutchman added: “I see Lewis Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari more as a PR move. With all due respect, Hamilton is not going to take that Ferrari from P6 to P1. He will get the most out of it, but what Ferrari has to do is make that car faster. And if you make that car faster, you can easily drive at the front with the current line-up.
“Besides, as a team you have to look further on the horizon. If Hamilton becomes champion in the coming years, he and Ferrari will become immortal. But if you want to build a team with talent for the next five years, are you going to build on Hamilton? No, because he will really be finished after two or three years. That is why I would have kept the very strong line-up that Ferrari has now.”
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Chase Elliott had a front-row seat for one of NASCAR’s most bizarre moments of the 2024 Cup Series season. At the start of Stage 2, the pace car dove onto pit road in front of Elliott; however, it was a tad too late. The pace car made contact with the sand barrels at the entry of pit road and caused a red flag for cleanup.
Initially, there was some speculation on the NBC Sports broadcast, even from the No. 9 team, that Elliott made contact with the pace car. Fortunately, the pace car didn’t slide across the No. 9 car’s nose, but it undoubtedly provided one of NASCAR’s craziest red flag moments in recent memory.
Below, you can listen to Elliott and the No. 9 team react to the pace car crashing into the sand barrels on pit road at Phoenix during Championship Weekend!
Reflecting on the recent retirement of 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., Earnhardt didn’t mince words about the toll NASCAR takes on its drivers. Speaking candidly, the two-time Daytona 500 winner admitted that the pressure to perform every week left him feeling miserable for most of his racing career—a sentiment he believes is shared by many of his peers.
“Right or wrong, racing made me a miserable person 90% of the time,” Earnhardt confessed. “And him too. I mean, ask Kyle Busch, ask anybody—unless you’re winning, you’re not happy.”
For these elite drivers, the sport is a relentless grind. A podium finish might bring temporary relief, but anything short of victory is often a source of frustration. The immense effort poured into preparation and execution rarely feels like it pays off unless the checkered flag is theirs.
Earnhardt highlighted the mental toll of falling short, explaining how the relentless focus on winning can overshadow the joy of simply competing. Even a solid performance feels hollow compared to the euphoria of a win.
“Unless you’re winning, you’re not happy at all,” he said. “You’re okay with a good run, but for the most part, all the effort it takes just to run good—it doesn’t weigh out.”
For drivers, the stakes are sky-high every week. Sponsors, fans, and teams demand nothing less than excellence, leaving little room for error or personal satisfaction in anything less than a dominant performance.
Earnhardt also shared insights into his friendship with Martin Truex Jr., who recently announced his retirement. While the two often spend time hunting together during NASCAR’s off-season, Earnhardt noted that the stress of racing even creeps into their leisure activities.
“When I’m with him during hunting season, it’s always in the back of his mind,” Earnhardt said. “It’s that stressful part of the year when he’s as miserable as he’s going to be.”
Now, with Truex stepping away from the track, Earnhardt looks forward to seeing a lighter, happier version of his long-time friend. Without the weight of weekly competition hanging over him, Truex might finally be able to relax and enjoy the outdoor lifestyle he cherishes.
“It’ll be fun to see him loosen up,” Earnhardt added.
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