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AK Miller Tribute at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum
Pomona, CA
Pictures By Roger Rohrdanz
Story & Captions By Richard Parks
3 Pages
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Ak Miller... by Richard Parks
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Ak Miller is a legend among racers. Which means that he doesn�t need to embellish his exploits, for we do that for him. Ak�s done about everything a racer wants to do. He�s raced the dry lakes, Bonneville Salt Flats, Pike�s Peak Hill Climb and road races in Italy and Mexico. Elected President of the SCTA (Southern California Timing Association) and Vice President of the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association), and a member of the Dry Lakes Hall of Fame, Ak has his share and more of auto racing honors. Yet he is more than just an award winner, elected official or quick and speedy racer. It�s the twinkle in his eye, entrancing smile, ready wit and charisma that gets you off balance and makes you fair game for this lively and charming fellow. Stories and tales surround him, and grow larger and more complex with the years. This has given rise to a colloquial expression, �that�s Ak�, meaning a story bunyunesque or too far fetched to be true. But those who say this are mistaken for he has never had to create a tale; he has lived a life many of us only dream of
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-Ak Miller, Johnny Ryan and Leslie Long. Ak is short for Akton. Ak was the president of the SCTA after WWII, and one time Vice President of NHRA. Ryan was the partner of Nelly Taylor in the famous Taylor and Ryan Machine shop and built race winning flathead engines for thousands of racers. Leslie Long is a historian and collector of memorabilia for the Dry Lakes racing era.
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El Caballo de Hierro or The Iron Horse. Famed Hot Rod created by Ak Miller to run in the 1950�s Mexican Road race, or The Pan-Americana Road Race. On his team was Doug Harrison, Rick Rickman, Ray Brock and others.
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Don Zabel and Richard Parks
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Bob Keller, Jon Meyer, Richard Parks
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Mark Saxlond, Bruce Eikenberger, Richard Parks, and Duane McKinney
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Richard Parks, Steve Shaw, and Richard Miazga. Miazga was representing the Eagle Rock Trompers, a 1946 SCTA Club that has just been reformed.
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El Caballo de Hierro and Ak Miller. Ak said that the car did well in the twisting turns of the mountains and at altitude, but the bigger European and American cars would go faster on the straightaways.
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El Caballo de Hierro and Ak Miller.
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Boyd Harnell, Jim Moran and Ak Miller
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Boyd Harnell, a racing photographer and was with Ak Miller in the Pan-Americana Road Race in the 1950's. Ak is holding Harnell's photo of the El Caballo de Hierro making a hairturn in the mountains of the Pan- Americana Mexican Road Race.
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Don Zabel, Frank Morimoto, Richard Parks, and John McDowell. Morimoto raced at the lakes before WWII and then went into the service in the famed All-Japanese/American combat unit that won distinction for bravery in the ETO European front.
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