Deaf driver makes history at Riverhead Raceway

Deaf driver makes history at Riverhead Raceway



History was made at Riverhead Raceway Saturday night when Daryn Miller won the Chargers race that night.

Miller, 36, of Franklyn Square, is deaf, and his victory marks the first time a deaf driver has ever won a race at Riverhead Raceway, according to track announcer Bob Finan.

"This is history in the making," Finan said as Miller's car approached the finish line.

Miller has been racing cars for about seven years, and while other drivers have radios in their cars with which to communicate with their crews, Miller has a series of four colored lights in his car to give him direction, according to his father, Bob, who designed the light system and used to race cars himself in the 1960s.

Daryn Miller, who owns a landscaping company, competes in both the Chargers and the Late Model divisions and came into Saturday ranked 13th in the standards for Chargers and 11th for Late Models. The updated standards, which would reflect his victory, were not yet available.