What’s Up Doc Racing Team

While it is great to win, our goal is to have fun and to compete in the sport.

Our racing team is from Grove, OK., and we participate in outboard boat racing throughout the midwest. The team has over 70 years of combined hydroplane boat racing experience.

Rick Miller
Driver/Sponsor

Rick started racing at age 14. After 38 years, he has compiled one of best records in the history of the sport. In APBA (American Power Boat Association), he was the winner of two Bob Gollor Awards (high point) and is a five time Hall of Championship inductee. Rick holds both the 3/4 and 1 mile completion 400 Mod Hydro record in APBA. He has won the High Point Driver of the Year in the National Boat Racing Association (NBRA). During his racing career he has a record of 86 National Championship wins (10 in 2016) in AOF (American Outboard Federation), APBA and NBRA, which are the most wins of any driver in the sport. Rick is a practicing dentist with Grove Dental Associates.

Braxton Miller
Driver

Braxton, driving since the age of 10, is an upcoming star in the sport of outboard racing. In APBA, he broke a speed record in the J hydro class and has won several Winter National races. He finished 2nd in the “D” hydro at the APBA National Championship in 2015 at Wakefield, Mi. At the age of 18, he has won the National Boat Racing Association’s National High Point of the year four times. He has won 35 championships both national and North American championship races.

Braxton Miller’s Hall
of Champions Speech

We have had many requests to show Braxton’s Hall of Champions speech Saturday night. As Braxton made everyone laugh with his stories, let that not diminish the hard work our team put forth to get Braxton in position to get his 2nd Hall of Champions induction. He did a great job of driving this year as well. Enjoy and then on to the 2023 season.

 

Leonard Miller
Crew Chief

Leonard is a retired driver with four APBA championship wins and five AOF championship wins. A past president of AOF and life time member of both NBRA and AOF. He is responsible for race preparation for 13 motors and 10 boats.

Charley Holman
Crew Member

Charley is from Branson, Mo. and has been helping in the pits with the set up and break down of the race equipment. He was a active racer for many years and a member of the Mercury High Performance team.

John Ruff
Crew Member

John Ruff is an important part of our race team. John is our Swiss Army knife, wearing many hats. John has begun to announce for NBRA adding his many years of experience in outboard racing. For our race team he drives the motor coach and he loves to cook. Guess what, our team loves to eat. Thanks John.

Congratulations “What’s Up Doc Racing Team”
NBRA’s 2023 National High Point Champion

Braxton Miller

1st – Braxton Miller – 31,050 pts. 

3rd – Rick Miller – 10,250 pts.

The Barn

2023 NBRA Racing Schedule

  • (1) April 21-24 Pineville, LA @ Lake Buhlow
  • (2) May 19-21 Clarksville, AR @ Lake Ludwig
  • (3) June 16-18 Grove, OK @ Wolf Creek/Grand Lake
  • (4) July 7-9 Stigler, OK @ Lake John Wells
  • (5) August 11-13 Centralia, IL @ Raccoon Lake (NBRA Nationals)
  • (6) September 8-9 Jacksonville, IL @ Lake Jacksonville
  • (7) September 22-24, Corsicana, TX @ Lake Halbert

Corresponding map markers (below) provide event points of contact, and Google map driving directions.

Thunder On Wolf Creek – June 16-18, 2023

Pineville, LA

Lake Buhlow
Hosting club: LBRA, contact Christy Hebert 985-233-0145

Clarksville, AR

Lake Ludwig
Hosting club: ODA, contact Jeff Lake 217-779-3763

Grove, OK


Wolf Creek@Grand Lake
Hosting club: OBRA, contact Ed Dawson 405-623-6555

Stigler, OK


Lake John Wells
Hosting club: OBRA, contact Ed Dawson 405-623-6555

Centralia, IL

Raccoon Lake  **NBRA Nationals** 
Hosting club: ODA, contact Jeff Lake 217-779-3763

Jacksonville, IL

Lake Jacksonville
Hosting club: ODA, contact Jeff Lake 217-779-3763

Corsicana, TX

Lake Halbert
Hosting club LSORA, contact Dennis Burke 214-546-3444

Our racing history starts with my father, Kenneth Leonard Miller, who built a wooden runabout in his garage. He was an electrician by trade but he had many skills. It was probably not fast enough for him. He didn’t go to school as many children in the depression. He found a KG7 Mercury and ordered a speed liner from St Joseph, Missouri. There was an active boat racing club in Oklahoma. One day he saw a car with a hydro on top owned by a local man, Pete Norton. Pete had been a jockey and was a Cherokee Indian. They decided to form a team. Soon after, they ran some races finishing well back in the pack. Winning a third was a big deal. They purchased 20H Mercurys and my dad converted the carburetors to alcohol fuel by enlarging the passages. They took their motor motors to Frank Vincent a marine dealer in Tulsa to help improve the performance. Frank held the A Pro hydro record for many years. In 1954 the team improved. Pete won the B stock Nationals in Dallas, Texas. In that year my dad bought me a Swift hydro and KG4 Mercury as I was 14 years old. I was second in high points in Oklahoma. In 1955, my father won the B runabout high point, Pete won the B hydro and I won the A hydro. Papa Smith made us some good props. My dad also had a Bugs Bunny painted on the boat and the saying “What’s Up Doc”. Little did he know that his son and grandson would become dentists. At that time it was not unusual to have a field of 16 boats in the race. In 1956, we didn’t do as well as Konigs were being used against the Mercs. The team quit, sold the boats, and bought a Cessna 170. They slowly kept buying better airplanes till they had a Bonanza. At the age of 56, my dad died of a heart attack. After high school, I went to college and dental school. I enlisted in the army during the Vietnam war and was in Vietnam from 1967-1968. After returning home, I purchased a D hydro from Clyde Bayer of Tulsa, Oklahoma. In my second year in 1969, a guy went to the second buoy instead of the first and he hit me, breaking my leg.

I moved from Tulsa to Grove, Oklahoma where I was married to a women who had a six-year-old son. I purchased a Sid-son hydro and a 20h and begin racing. Over the next 20 years I won many state high points and in Madisonville, Louisiana I won my first AOF National Championship. I didn’t get my motor started for the first heat, but the field was red-flagged when there were three false starts. I made it out for the restart of the race and won.

In 1983 I won APBA 25 Mod Hydro National championship. There were 32 entries at Dayton, Ohio. With a new Bezoat hydro that I got delivery on at the race. The next year at Soddy Daisy, Tennessee I won the B and 25 Mod Hydro APBA National Championships. I have won 9 Championships over my 35 years of racing.

I have also put on and organized many races. We had races on our hometown lake from 1970-1983, took a break then brought them back from 2013 -2022. I was the Race Director for the AOF Nationals in 1979 and 1980 in Eufaula, Oklahoma. I was the Race Director for the APBA Nationals in Mountain Home, Arkansas from 1988-1991, as well as the NBRA Nationals in 2014.

My history in racing is somewhat meager compared to my son Rick’s. Rick began racing at 14 years old with an A Hot Rod and Staron hydro and runabout. Carl was building us hydros and runabouts during this time. Rick took 17 consecutive first-place wins in his 3rd year with the Staron runabout and then we sold it to get a Broccoli runabout.

Sometimes we question our thinking, but the Broccoli runabout was a beauty. I always made him drive the runabout first before concentrating on the hydros.

Rick is one of the winningest outboard drivers with 113 National Championships, 1 AOF Hall of Fame induction, and 6 APBA Hall of Champions induction. He has won in AOF, NBRA as well as APBA. He has also set 6 APBA competition records and two Bob Goller Overall High Point Awards. It’s not easy to compete in APBA races as the closest races is a 10-hour drive away.

When Rick became a dentist we officially called our team “What’s Up Doc Racing”, even though we had put the What’s Up Doc and Bugs Bunny on quite a few of our boats since 1953.

I adopted a 2-year-old grandchild Braxton along with his two sisters. Braxton started racing at 10 years old in the J classes and the NBRA Novice Class. We bought Andrew Tate’s J equipment. Braxton went on to win 2nd in JR and JH in his first APBA Nationals at 10 years old in Whitney Point, New York. There were over 20 boats in each of the classes. Braxton has won about 45 championships and in 2019 was inducted into the APBA Hall of Champions. For many years he was the Overall High Point Champion of NBRA and has won a Bob Goller Overall Hight Point award as well. Braxton has had 5 surgeries repairing legs, hips, and an ankle as a result of football injuries.

In 2019 he set a one mile record B Stock Hydro competition record at Dayton, Ohio, and won the Stock Nationals in D hydro. He has won two seconds at the D hydro champions. Braxton competes in the D stock hydro and runabout, C (500 Mod) Mod hydro and runabout and 3-4 other classes as well.

The What’s Up Doc racing team is easy to recognize with their purple and yellow color boats. We have enjoyed great success over the 8 decades of racing. We love traveling the country racing against many different racers and expect everyone to bring their “A” game when we show up..

Leonard “Doc” Miller 35-0

Racing News

Great Week at APBA– Rick Miller

Great Week at APBA– Rick Miller

What’s up Doc Racing team had a great week at the APBA Stock/Mod/J National Championships in Wakefield, Michigan. Braxton won titles in the D Stock Hydro and the 500 Mod Hydro. I won the 400 Mod Hydro. Lots of work paid off and our crew of Len “Doc” Miller, John Ruff...

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Thunder On Wolf Creek, Grove, OK – Rick Miller

Thunder On Wolf Creek, Grove, OK – Rick Miller

What a great way to spend Father’s Day weekend racing in our hometown and having my Dad helping and cheering me to victory. Also, thanks to our crew that helped Braxton and I have a great weekend at Thunder on Wolf Creek.

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APBA Winter Nationals, Jesup, GA – Rick Miller

APBA Winter Nationals, Jesup, GA – Rick Miller

We had a great weekend at the APBA Winter Nationals in Jesup, Georgia this past weekend. Braxton and I both won a title and Braxton had a solid weekend of top 3 finishes in all his classes.  Our team was amazing to help us and feed us. Lots of fun and great weather....

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2022 APBA Hall of Champions – Braxton Miller

2022 APBA Hall of Champions – Braxton Miller

Eight years ago Braxton Miller won these trophies in NBRA. Just announced he won the hall of champions in APBA for 2022. What's Up Doc? The race team had a successful year. Thanks to Rick our sponsor and team members John Ruff, Howard Whitetree, Charley Holman, Tony...

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Clarksville North/South Shootout

The boat racing team, What’s up Doc? Competed in the races at Clarksville, Ar. may 22/23, 2022. A large field of hydroplanes showed up at the North/South Shootout. The race was cut short when thunderstorms arrived at 3 pm. The races continued on Sunday with cooler...

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2022 APBA Winter Nationals, Jesup GA

2022 APBA Winter Nationals, Jesup GA

Our race team traveled to Jesup, Georgia. to compete in APBA's Winter Nationals.   The National races were held on Friday.  What's Up Doc? The race team is composed of drivers Rick Miller and Braxton Miller and support team Tony Anderson, Andrew Jecmen, John Ruff, and...

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Rick Miller – APBA Propeller Magazine, October 2016.

Braxton Miller wins 400 mod hydro class at APBA Winter Nationals.

PAST EVENTS

APBA Winter Nationals in Jesup, GA – April 2, 2023

Wolfcreek, Grove OK – June 11-13, 2021

Spring Nationals, Jessup GA – April 10-11, 2021

Tunks, Alexandria LA – May 18-20, 2018