July 28, 1963. Born Paul David Milum to parents Earl R. (Bucky) Milum and Ann M. Milum in Foxboro, Mass. Bucky a well driller in New England and Ann a hairdresser we all lived in Plainville Mass. until 1970 when the family relocated to Holmdel, New Jersey. It was there that I spent the next nine years growing up in a quiet neighborhood going to school and playing with friends.

    Dad would take me to East Windsor and Flemington Speedways where we watched guys like Kenny Brenn, Sammy Beavers, Stan Ploski, Glen Fitzcharles, Billy Pauch, Wayne and Buzzie Reuitiman race their dirt modifieds every Friday and Saturday night. I still remember those nights and how it looked so simple from the stands where we watched so intentively. Will never forget the Flemington Fair and how the dust used to fly around that hazardous 5/8-mile dirt track. I remember the USAC show in 1977 when I saw Dick (Toby) Tobias die in a sprint car between turns 1 and 2. A moment in racing I will never forget. I remember seeing Geoff Bodine teach them all a lesson in a super modified at the long lost Trenton Speedway.

    Business in the well drilling business took the family to Westerville, Ohio, a small suburb of Columbus. Still in high school and a young teenager, I was able to attend three Indy 500's. Tickets courtesy of Indy team owner Pat Patrick. At the tender age of adolescence, I dreamed of becoming an open wheel racecar driver. Some of the tracks around Columbus offered asphalt stock car racing which just didn't appeal to me.

    Business again moved the Milum family to Long Island, New York for a year where there wasn't much racing, just getting used to a new high school and dreaming of a racing career. Looking up to men like A.J.Foyt, Rick Mears, Gordon Johncock, Danny Ongais, Mario Andretti, etc. These warriors made their mark in racing, most of them gladiators in sprint cars, no cages, no wings. Just balls to the wall racecar driving. After a little less than a year in New York and a short stay back in Columbus, Ohio, the water well industry relocated the family again, for the final time in Sarasota, Florida. It was here were I finished my final year of school at Sarasota High School in 1982. Early on, dad and I checked out East Bay Raceway and the Florida State Fairgrounds and the dirt racing was great, but the enthusiasm I once had, had faded somewhat. A new venture for dad and myself put us in the well drilling and pump business and that took a lot of time. 24 hrs. 7 days if you catch my drift. Partying and girls consumed any free time I had, and racing just seemed to me to be a fantasy that would never come true. In 1990 I drove an A offshore race boat that was a real piece of crap and belonged in the Smithsonian Museum, It was always broke and so was the guy who owned it, but the parties, parades, and banquets were truly memorable. Racing a sprint car on dirt was my ultimate fantasy and savior. Springtime in Sarasota brought the onset of my racing career. While driving down 12th street in Sarasota I noticed what appeared to be an outlaw sprint car parked out front of an automobile repair shop. It was there I met a young man by the name of John Rosploch. From June till October of 1994, I helped wrench the 1985 Gambler that John drove for owner Vince Cappelli. Upon showing great interest in the sport and believing I was still capable of handling a sprint car, I convinced my father to buy me my first sprint car. A 1994 Schnee purchased from fellow driver and friend Taylor Andrews. My first race at East Bay was truly a frightening experience. I was going about 40 MPH and thought I was flying, until Sam Rodriguez lapped me in 4 laps going about 125MPH.I thought to myself that I was going to kill myself for sure. I wondered if I had made a mistake. Sam Rodriguez was brought in to help me learn to drive the car not only safely, but also to cross the threshold of going fast, really fast. In 1995 I was runner up in the TBARA Rookie of the year points battle with Brian Maddox. An experienced sprint car driver, but still a rookie as far as TBARA was concerned. Back in those days, TBARA ran both dirt and pavement, so we would change the car from dirt to pavement set-ups every week. A real chore. 1996 was my most successful year in the points battle. A close battle between Joe Melnick, Keith Butler, and myself. This time we had a dirt car and a pavement car, so it was not necessary to convert one car to the other. Finishing all 35 races that year we finished 2nd in dirt points and 3rd overall in TBARA. Missing out of the East Bay championship by a mere 14 points to Melnick. Butler and I had a blast fighting for second in points. It was also the year that I had my second teammate since Rosploch in 1995 .His name was Dave Steele. A true racer and still my friend today.1996 also marked the birth of my son, David, who now drives a go-cart at Dirt Devils Speedway in the 5 to 7 year old division. Who knows what I could have accomplished if I could have started racing at that age. 96 also marked my first feature win at East Bay. A moment I will never forget. .

    A new teammate in 1997, Sam Rodriguez came out of retirement to race the American Motorsports Wolfweld sprint car and more improvements came to my driving skills. Unfortunetly, Sam went back into retirement before the end of the season. This year also marked the split up between East Bay Raceway and the TBARA. Thus forcing drivers and owners to choose between dirt and pavement. I chose the dirt. We finished 4th in points that year. I had won another feature also.

    Season starting 1998 found me at East Bay again with new teammate Sport Allen. We both had Schnees, me in my traditional 42, and Sport in the 42X. I ran some pavement in 98 till I destroyed the pavement car at Ocala Speedway in early June. Regardless Sport and I had alot of fun.

    1999 marks the season of all seasons. The Winternationals at East Bay saw me in the winner's circle again. In a 5-lap dash for cash, I beat the best there is, Kenny Adams, Terry McCarl, Ron Laney, and the late John Bankston. I will never forget that. The owner of American Motorsports, My dad, Bucky Milum, decided to have a three-car team at East Bay. Sport and me were solidly in our rides the 42 and the 42X, but we brought in Ernie Teed of Sarasota in the 42T. Ernies stay was short lived as was Roland Johnsons with the ride ultimately going to Johnny Gilbertson. It was cool though because we all drove 42's but I had a white wing, Sport had a red wing and Johnny's was blue. Dad also did something unprecedented. A forth car was added to the stable. The black 98 American Drilling & Pump/98 Rock Sprint car with Tampa Bay DJ Bubba the Love Sponge. I was so busy keeping all those cars going that my own racing suffered. Nevertheless Sport won the Championship for dad and Johnny finished 3rd and I settled for 7th, not running all the shows. I was tired at the end of 99, and with ASCS rules coming into effect with the oncoming season, Dad and I decided to throw in the towel. I swore I would never drive a sprint car again. In one swift motion, we sold all our cars, trucks and trailers. Everything was gone.

    The year 2000. I attended about three races that year, and I couldn't stand sitting in the stands. I still had no intention of returning to racing. I bought my first house and moved to Bradenton. Concentrated on raising my son and made a futile last-ditch effort to resurrect my family life with David's mother, which failed miserably. I could tell my dad had the itch to return to racing, but without my input, it would not have been likely. Over a few drinks one night in late 2000, I told dad that I would be willing to make a go of it again so long as we kept it simple. No teammates and we would race when we wanted where we wanted. Lets have fun. That's exactly what we did in 2001. Got my crew back together and built two brand new Eagles for dirt and a Hurricane for pavement. Me and the crew, John Knight, his son John (junior) and dad went back to East Bay and won our heat race the very first time out. Our best finish in a feature was second, won about nine heats and three dashes. We won the Hard Charger award at Sunshine Speedway during the Jim Haynes Memorial for passing the most cars in the race. The TBARA racers always rag on me for being a dirt car driver and tell me not to groove my tires. We ran successfully at Desoto and Punta Gorda on the pavement. But again I was not loyal to any track or club. We were loyal to ourselves and our fans and friends. 2002, my eighth year behind the wheel of an outlaw sprinter. Without my fathers support, without John and juniors help, It would not be possible. True, I am living my dream. There is nothing in the world like speed. Some of the best people I have ever known in my life I have met in racing. My racing family consists of friends and enemies alike. We may fight amongst ourselves, but we are the first to defend each other. I hope 2002 brings me much joy as I travel around the state looking to fulfill my fantasy.