One way Russell Miller and his family get away from the rat race is to head to the track.

Miller, 26, is a cog in the wheel of a family race team that includes his great-uncle, Mike Bufink; his father, Dean Miller; and his uncle, Don Miller. They race modified cars at Baer Field Speedway every weekend. His cousin, Taylor Deckard, helps out when he isn't playing on the Wayne High School football team, as does his younger brother, Tim, among other family members.

“Our team races three modifieds, full time,” Russ Miller said. “Oftentimes, all three of our cars are on the track at the same time, which makes being in the pits so much fun. We are always joking about who beat who, and always making excuses why we got beat by the other two. It's a nice and fun way to spend time as a family.”

Baer Field Speedway, 4331 Winters Road, is really the heart of racing in Fort Wayne, Miller said. The track runs stock cars on the 3/8 -mile and 1/2 -mile ovals and also offers go-kart and motocross racing.

When Miller and the team aren't speeding around the track, they are working on the cars.

“Maintenance on the cars is like having a second job,” he said. “After work, everyone meets at the shop to work on the cars. We'll often spend about four hours a night working on the cars if one breaks, and as little as two hours a week if all goes well.”

The cars can reach a top speed of more than 110 mph on the track, and average about 19 seconds to complete a half-mile lap, Miller said.

“Saturdays are usually an all-day event, as we will meet at the shop around 10 a.m. to get everything ready,” he said. “Usually, after the races, we get back to the shop and drop off the cars between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m.

“I personally race — and we've discussed this as a team — because it's an escape from reality, from how our jobs are going and sometimes what's going on with family,” he said.

Miller doesn't leave the track completely behind even when he's at work at Prentice Products as a customer-service representative.

Prentice is a sponsor of the race team and has been responsible for all the graphics on the cars since 2002. Other sponsors include Dr. Feelgood's D.J. Service, Dailey Athletic Apparel and Charity Sports of Indiana.

The family passion for racing is not without danger.

“We've had a couple of close calls in quite a few of our years of racing and have had our share of excitement,” Russ Miller said.

He had one particularly memorable scrape when he lost control in the backstretch, hit a set of tires placed there for protection and left the ground in a 360-degree spin. Another time, his Uncle Don went end-over-end in a barrel roll.

Russ downplays the risks, possibly because he has been around racing all his life.

Their family has been racing since the early '80s, running street stocks and modifieds (car categories) at Avilla Speedway, in Avilla, as well as at dirt and asphalt tracks in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio, he said.

“My dad and Uncle Don (Miller) had to quit racing in 1987, but Uncle Mike continued,” Russ Miller said. “He still races to this day, and the 2009 season will be his 25th anniversary. As he raced, my dad, two brothers and I went to help out over the years, and, after graduating from Elmhurst High School, I started racing.”

Jim Miller, Russ' grandfather, said he probably is responsible for the family race car saga, since he took an old 4-cylinder car and raced it on a dirt track in Avilla more than 25 years ago. He and his wife, Sharon, are fans of the team and watch most races.

“The cars are a lot safer now,” Jim Miller said. “They are made better. They all have fire extinguishers in the cars. My wife is very glad about that.”

Russ Miller's first car of his own was a 1985 Ford Mustang mini-stock, which his Uncle Mike told him about at a family cookout on July 4, 2002. He recalls the exact date of his first race: Aug. 31, 2002. In 2007, he moved into the modified car class with a 1968 Chevrolet Chevelle frame on a custom-built chassis with a 500-plus-horsepower motor thrown in.

Last year, Russ placed sixth locally in total points earned for finishes in races throughout the season. He puts whatever money he wins back into the cars.

“The 2009 season looks like it will be a very interesting year for Miller-Bufink Racing,” he said. “Besides being my Uncle Mike's 25th anniversary of racing, this summer my wife, Amber, and I are expecting our first child on July 4.”