Sammy Miller (nicknamed "Slam'n Sammy") was a
dragster and
funny car builder in the 1970s and 1980s.
Miller was responsible for the
"Miller Wedge" digger in 1974 and the rocket-powered
''Vanishing Point'' Vega
Vega is the brightest star in the northern constellation of Lyra. It has the Bayer designation α Lyrae, which is Latinised to Alpha Lyrae and abbreviated Alpha Lyr or α Lyr. This star is relatively close at only from the Sun, an ...
FC in the 1980s.
The Wedge was allegedly a product of Miller's dislike of repeated funny car fires. It featured bicycle front wheels, a low-mounted, front-sloping rear wing, and a mid-mounted engine (placed further ahead of the rear axle than most similar dragsters).
[Taylor, p.38 photo.]
Miller was killed in an accident on Tuesday 29th October 2002 whilst working in the Texas oilfields for his company Applied Force.
Notes
Fastest quarter mile run ever.
3.22 @402 mph.
Sources
*Taylor, Thom. "Beauty Beyond the Twilight Zone" in ''Hot Rod'', April 2017, pp. 30–43.
American automobile designers
Drag racing
2002 deaths
Industrial accident deaths
Accidental deaths in Texas
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