The legend of Missouri’s Larry Phillips cannot be measured in wins alone.
That’s because nobody can say for sure how many victories there were. He raced here, there and everywhere on dirt and asphalt and in places where record keeping wasn’t always a priority.
Phillips was just happy to vanquish the competition and go on to the next track. One crew chief, James Ince, estimated Phillips won 1,000 times; maybe 2,000.
Rivals expressed frustration upon seeing Phillips’ No. 75 car come through the pit gate, admitting they were racing each other for second place.
What is fact is that Phillips was the first of two drivers to win five NASCAR
Weekly Series national championships. During an 11-year span – from his first title in 1989 through 1996 – the Springfield, Missouri competitor won 220 of 289 NASCAR-sanctioned starts. That’s a winning percentage of 76 percent. Phillips also won 13 track championships in three states.
Phillips was named one of the 25 top drivers in the NASCAR Whelen AllAmerican Series in 2006.
