The Brotherly Relationship of the Paul Miller Racing BMW Drivers Has Gone a Long Way in a Record-Setting Season
By Mark Robinson
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – When you love your job, it doesn’t seem like work. And there’s been a lot to love in the Paul Miller Racing camp this season.
Bryan Sellers and Madison Snow have piloted the No. 1 BMW M4 GT3 to five GT Daytona (GTD) class wins in the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – a single-season record for the class that began nine years ago. The latest victory came Sunday in the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR as Sellers and Snow inched closer to wrapping up the GTD season championship.
Asked how enjoyable his race weekends are now, Sellers – who has raced in IMSA’s top level since 2005 – reflected before answering. He and Snow have teamed at Paul Miller Racing since 2016, developing a close relationship in and out of the car. To say they’re brothers from different mothers rings true. It makes the sacrifices of a racing career much more palatable when you have a teammate – and team – like they have.
“As you start to get a little bit older,” Sellers said, “the weekends have to be something extremely worthwhile for you (to have) the desire to still do it – to be away from your family, your kids. For me, one of the biggest things in that desire to be here every weekend is being with (Snow). It doesn’t feel like a job. It feels like I’m on a fishing trip with my brother every weekend. It’s very lucky, very lucky.”
Both drivers credit team owner Paul Miller for building and maintaining a solid team that remains consistent with personnel up and down the line.
“You’re super thankful to be with a great program and a program that we’ve been together for seven or eight years and relatively unchanged,” Sellers admitted.
But both also realize the bond they’ve built with each other has been an integral component of that success. Since switching to BMW a race into the 2022 season, they’ve won seven times in 19 races and could’ve claimed last year’s GTD crown had they not missed the season opener at Daytona waiting on arrival of their new car.
“We just work really well together,” Snow said. “We’re always trying to improve; we’re always helping each other out. Having Bryan as a co-driver really makes that possible. Bryan doesn’t get nearly enough credit for how hard he works and how he brings the whole team together, but also car setup and strategy and everything else.”
The confidence in each other works both ways. Sellers, who battled illness all weekend at VIRginia International Raceway, said Snow saved the day Sunday by jumping back in the BMW for the final race stint and taking it to the checkered flag.
“You just have that trust in him all the time,” Sellers said. “We also have a great working relationship with everybody in the program and I think that helps. It speaks volumes to the team that Paul has allowed us to build.”
Yet, even with the team continuity and tight co-driver relationship, neither envisioned the record-setting season they’ve strung together with two races still to go.
“Definitely not,” Snow said as Sellers shook his head no. “I think two (wins) was our record before with a whole bunch of podium finishes. We knew that podium finishes are what you need for a championship and for a great season. Pfaff, the year they won the championship (2021), they had a lot of wins (four) and they had an excellent year. You look at that and you think how good of a team that is, so no one ever thought this was possible going into it.”
Sellers, Snow and the No. 1 BMW have their next opportunity to build on that record Sept. 17 at the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Take a look at their five wins in 2023 below.