December 2nd 2025

USAC’s Kevin Miller Highlights Explosive Growth, Innovation and a Multi-Discipline Future

Speaking during EPARTRADE’s 6th Annual Race Industry Week, Kevin Miller, President & CEO of USAC (United States Auto Club), outlined how one of America’s most historic sanctioning bodies has transformed into a modern, multi-discipline motorsports powerhouse — spanning sprint cars, midgets, Silver Crown, off-road, rally, road racing, snowmobiles and youth racing.

What was once a relatively narrow organization focused on traditional short-track racing has now evolved into an umbrella that touches nearly every corner of motorsport.

“In 2007 we were essentially sprint cars, midgets and Silver Crown with a few regional series,” Miller explained. “Today we’re over 20,000 participants annually, and sprint cars, midgets and Silver Crown are less than 2% of our overall membership. That’s how far we’ve come.”

From Short Tracks to Rally, Off-Road and Road Racing

Miller traced USAC’s expansion back to 2009, when off-road legend Ricky Johnson invited the club to flag a few truck races at Perris Auto Speedway. That small step led to USAC owning and operating the TORC off-road series, producing a groundbreaking reality TV show at the time with RED digital cameras, RC-car track shots and drones — long before those tools became commonplace.

While TORC was eventually sold on the marketing side, it set the template for USAC’s modern model:
focus deeply on competition, rules, safety and officiating — while partnering for promotion and marketing.

That structure now extends across:

Off-Road: Core/Champ Off-Road, Ultra4 and King of the Hammers
Rally: American Rally Association (ARA), now promoted by Vermont SportsCar founder Lance Smith while USAC oversees competition
Snowmobiles: Over 140 snowmobile events annually under the International Snowmobile Racing banner
Road Racing: Rapidly expanding programs anchored by the Porsche Sprint Challenge and Porsche Endurance Challenge, plus new endurance efforts with Zenith Racing and ongoing collaboration with SRO

“Every series is a little different,” Miller said. “In some, we’re the pure sanctioning body providing licensing, insurance and safety. In others, we handle scheduling, timing and scoring, operations and more. The common thread is we make it simple and efficient to run a professional championship.”

Porsche Sprint Challenge: A New Era in Road Racing

One of the biggest surprises, Miller admitted, has been the success of USAC’s road-racing programs — particularly its partnership with Porsche Motorsport North America.

“In 2019, I got a call from Porsche. Honestly, at first I said, ‘We’re not a road-racing group,’” Miller recalled with a laugh. “But they liked how we handled competition in other series. We launched Porsche Sprint Challenge in 2021, right after the pandemic, and our team just over-delivered.”

USAC now:

Sanctions and operates the Porsche Sprint Challenge across North America
Oversees the Porsche Endurance Challenge
Provides timing, scoring and competition support in partnership with SRO and other road-racing organizers

That success pushed USAC to re-think its technical infrastructure — especially in timing and scoring, where data feeds power everything from live timing to television, strategy tools and team engineering.

Alchemel North America and Remote Race Control

To stay ahead of rapidly evolving technology, USAC formed a joint venture with Alchemel, the global timing and data partner behind IMSA, the FIA World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The partnership created Alchemel North America, headquartered inside USAC’s Indianapolis offices, with:

A new remote timing and scoring center under construction
Plans to provide low-cost, professional timing for practice days and club events at tracks like Sebring and Circuit of The Americas
A long-term vision for remote race control, similar to the NHL’s centralized video review model and the remote operations already used in Formula 1

“Most top-level series already run race control from enclosed, video-driven environments,” Miller noted. “With today’s technology, that doesn’t have to be at the track. Our goal is to use the best tools in the world and make them available across multiple series at an affordable cost.”

USAC will begin testing advanced tracking systems with King of the Hammers and Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in 2026, with full deployment targeted for 2027.

Streaming, FLOSPORTS and the New Economics of Exposure

Miller also highlighted how USAC embraced live streaming after early experiments, including a 2008 Turkey Night Grand Prix broadcast that “broke the internet” at 28,000 viewers.

Today, USAC produces over 100 live events per year on FLOSPORTS, primarily for its sprint car and midget programs — often with incredibly lean on-site crews.

“We used to think streaming might hurt the front gate,” Miller said. “What we’ve actually seen is the opposite. The most-streamed events are also our most packed grandstands. Turkey Night was absolutely full.”

To overcome the high costs of traditional broadcast models — where even streaming could run $40,000–$50,000 per weekend — USAC built its own workflow and partnerships to bring that cost down to around $10,000 per event for series like Porsche Sprint Challenge.

The result?

Multi-camera coverage using fixed cameras, drones and in-car feeds
Unified latency so producers can cut seamlessly between all angles
Live distribution on Porsche’s official YouTube channel, with quality that meets the manufacturer’s global standards

When asked about track owners who still resist streaming, Miller was blunt:

“If you’re not streaming, you won’t be relevant. Someone in Montana isn’t driving to Indiana for your Saturday night show, but they might watch online, fall in love with your track, and put you on their bucket list. Streaming is a marketing tool — not your enemy.”

Building the Next Generation: NASCAR Youth Series and Beyond

A major pillar of USAC’s long-term strategy is youth development. In 2008, USAC launched what is now the NASCAR Youth Series (formerly USAC .25), built around quarter-midget racing for kids.

The program was founded on three principles: fun, cost control and safety.

Today it boasts:

60+ member clubs
Approximately 3,000 young drivers annually
A strong pipeline of alumni now racing in NASCAR Trucks, Xfinity and Cup

“The most rewarding thing is seeing that pipeline full,” Miller said. “We started this to protect the future of sprint cars and midgets. Now those kids are showing up in top-tier NASCAR, and we can trace their roots right back to our youth series.”

Honoring Champions and Looking Ahead to 2026

Even as USAC expands its footprint, it remains grounded in tradition. The organization will cap its year with its annual champions’ week during the PRI Trade Show, honoring:

NASCAR Youth Series champions
National Sprint Car, Midget and Silver Crown champions
Champions from its growing off-road, rally, snowmobile and road-racing platforms

From there, the “short winter” ends quickly, with February kicking off:

USAC Sprint Cars and Midgets at Ocala, Florida
Porsche Sprint Challenge at Sebring
Multiple off-road and snowmobile events

“We’ve become very broad and very diverse over the last 15 years,” Miller concluded. “But at the core, USAC is still about the same thing it’s always been about — great racing, fair competition, smart use of technology and creating sustainable pathways for the next generation of racers and fans.”