WHEATLAND , MO – Aug. 11, 2007 – Terry Phillips had gone too long without a victory on the MARS DIRTcar Series.
Uncharacteristically winless through the tour’s first 11 events of 2007, Phillips broke through on Saturday night with a triumph in the 40-lap MARS/Midwest Late Model Racing Association (MLRA) Challenge at Lucas Oil Speedway.
Phillips, 41, of Springfield , Mo. , debuted a new Andy’s Frozen Custard-sponsored GRT car at the three-eighths-mile oval and had little trouble getting it up to speed. He passed Scott Drake of Webb City , Mo. , for the lead on lap two and never looked back, dominating the co-sanctioned event in convincing fashion.
Caution flags – at the halfway mark for a spin by J.D. Hubert of Cross Timbers, Mo. , and lap 35 for Brandon McCormick of Lebanon , Mo. – didn’t hamper Phillips. He pulled away on each restart and crossed the finish line comfortably ahead of his protégé, Jeremy Payne, a 21-year-old who relocated from Arizona to Springfield , Mo. , to drive a dirt Late Model from the Phillips Racing stable.
Alan Vaughn of Belton , Mo. , finished third, followed by 15th-starter Will Vaught of Crane, Mo. , and four-time and defending MARS champion Bill Frye of Greenbrier, Ark., who started 17th after winning the B-Main and grabbed fifth place by passing Jack Sullivan, also of Greenbrier, Ark., rounding the race’s final corner.
The $3,000 win was Phillips’s first on the MARS trail since the 2006 season finale, on Oct. 7 at Bolivar ( Mo. ) Speedway . He is a three-time MARS champion and the tour’s alltime winningest driver, with 59 career victories.
The 2007 MARS season has been frustrating for Phillips, whose top finish entering Saturday night’s program was third, on May 6 at Monett ( Mo. ) Speedway . He had finished among the top five in five of the tour’s other six full-points shows (four races so far this season have offered only show-up points), but wins feed the veteran driver’s appetite.
All is now well with Phillips. His victory at the ‘Diamond of Dirt Tracks’ was not only his first of the season, but also gave his race team its initial sweep of the top-two finishing positions in a MARS event this season.
Payne’s runner-up finish matched his season-best on the MARS tour, on May 27 at I-80 Speedway in Greenwood , Neb.
Phillips jumped up one spot, to third, in the MARS points standings, which are shaping up as a titanic battle among the top-six drivers.
Frye’s run forward from deep in the field allowed him to remain atop the points standings through 12 events, but his lead shrunk to a single point (819-818) over his own young protégé, the 20-year-old Vaught. Phillips trails Frye by 21 points, while Payne (-29), Sullivan (-37) and Al Purkey of Coffeyville , Kans. (-67) remain within striking distance.
With 28 dirt Late Models on hand at the spic-and-span facility, heat winners were Chris Smyser of Lancaster, Mo., Brandon McCormick of Lebanon , Mo. , Drake and Eric Turner of Hermitage, Mo.
The MARS DIRTcar Series has this weekend off before embarking on a four-race swing Aug. 22-25 that figures to be critical in determining the 2007 champion. A quartet of $5,000-to-win events will be contested, at Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach , Ill. , on Wed., Aug. 22; Poplar Bluff ( Mo. ) Speedway on Thurs., Aug. 23; Paducah ( Ky. ) International Raceway on Fri., Aug. 24; and I-55 Raceway in Pevely , Mo. , on Sat., Aug. 25.
For more information on the MARS DIRTcar Series, visit www.midamericaracingseries.com.
MARS DIRTcar Series/MLRA Feature Finish (40 laps):
1. Terry Phillips
2. Jeremy Payne
3. Alan Vaughn
4. Will Vaught
5. Bill Frye
6. Jack Sullivan
7. Peyton Taylor
8. Eric Turner
9. Chris Smyser
10. Sonny Findling
11. Scott Drake
12. Justin Wells
13. Al Purkey
14. Brandon McCormick
15. J.D. Hubert
16. Gary Stolba
17. David Turner
18. Aaron Seabaugh
19. Ricky Frankel
20. PJ Haskins
21. Reid Millard
22. Brantlee Gotschall
23. Larry Jones
24. Burl Woods
DNQ: Ron Bolin, Corey Zeitner, David Barker, Johnny Fennewald
MARS DIRTcar Series Points Standings (as of Aug. 11):
1. Bill Frye 819
2. Will Vaught 818 (-1)
3. Terry Phillips 798 (-21)
4. Jeremy Payne 790 (-29)
5. Jack Sullivan 782 (-37)
6. Al Purkey 750 (-69)
7. Brandon McCormick 666 (-153)
8. Steve Rushin 584 (-235)
9. David Turner 320 (-499)
10. Gary Stolba 291 (-528)
11. Joey Mack 275 (-544)
12. Chris Smyser 266 (-553)
13. Scott Drake 260 (-559)
14. Brad Looney 259 (-560)
15. John Anderson 240 (-579)
15. Larry Jones 240 (-579)
Uncharacteristically winless through the tour’s first 11 events of 2007, Phillips broke through on Saturday night with a triumph in the 40-lap MARS/Midwest Late Model Racing Association (MLRA) Challenge at Lucas Oil Speedway.
Phillips, 41, of Springfield , Mo. , debuted a new Andy’s Frozen Custard-sponsored GRT car at the three-eighths-mile oval and had little trouble getting it up to speed. He passed Scott Drake of Webb City , Mo. , for the lead on lap two and never looked back, dominating the co-sanctioned event in convincing fashion.
Caution flags – at the halfway mark for a spin by J.D. Hubert of Cross Timbers, Mo. , and lap 35 for Brandon McCormick of Lebanon , Mo. – didn’t hamper Phillips. He pulled away on each restart and crossed the finish line comfortably ahead of his protégé, Jeremy Payne, a 21-year-old who relocated from Arizona to Springfield , Mo. , to drive a dirt Late Model from the Phillips Racing stable.
Alan Vaughn of Belton , Mo. , finished third, followed by 15th-starter Will Vaught of Crane, Mo. , and four-time and defending MARS champion Bill Frye of Greenbrier, Ark., who started 17th after winning the B-Main and grabbed fifth place by passing Jack Sullivan, also of Greenbrier, Ark., rounding the race’s final corner.
The $3,000 win was Phillips’s first on the MARS trail since the 2006 season finale, on Oct. 7 at Bolivar ( Mo. ) Speedway . He is a three-time MARS champion and the tour’s alltime winningest driver, with 59 career victories.
The 2007 MARS season has been frustrating for Phillips, whose top finish entering Saturday night’s program was third, on May 6 at Monett ( Mo. ) Speedway . He had finished among the top five in five of the tour’s other six full-points shows (four races so far this season have offered only show-up points), but wins feed the veteran driver’s appetite.
All is now well with Phillips. His victory at the ‘Diamond of Dirt Tracks’ was not only his first of the season, but also gave his race team its initial sweep of the top-two finishing positions in a MARS event this season.
Payne’s runner-up finish matched his season-best on the MARS tour, on May 27 at I-80 Speedway in Greenwood , Neb.
Phillips jumped up one spot, to third, in the MARS points standings, which are shaping up as a titanic battle among the top-six drivers.
Frye’s run forward from deep in the field allowed him to remain atop the points standings through 12 events, but his lead shrunk to a single point (819-818) over his own young protégé, the 20-year-old Vaught. Phillips trails Frye by 21 points, while Payne (-29), Sullivan (-37) and Al Purkey of Coffeyville , Kans. (-67) remain within striking distance.
With 28 dirt Late Models on hand at the spic-and-span facility, heat winners were Chris Smyser of Lancaster, Mo., Brandon McCormick of Lebanon , Mo. , Drake and Eric Turner of Hermitage, Mo.
The MARS DIRTcar Series has this weekend off before embarking on a four-race swing Aug. 22-25 that figures to be critical in determining the 2007 champion. A quartet of $5,000-to-win events will be contested, at Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach , Ill. , on Wed., Aug. 22; Poplar Bluff ( Mo. ) Speedway on Thurs., Aug. 23; Paducah ( Ky. ) International Raceway on Fri., Aug. 24; and I-55 Raceway in Pevely , Mo. , on Sat., Aug. 25.
For more information on the MARS DIRTcar Series, visit www.midamericaracingseries.com.
MARS DIRTcar Series/MLRA Feature Finish (40 laps):
1. Terry Phillips
2. Jeremy Payne
3. Alan Vaughn
4. Will Vaught
5. Bill Frye
6. Jack Sullivan
7. Peyton Taylor
8. Eric Turner
9. Chris Smyser
10. Sonny Findling
11. Scott Drake
12. Justin Wells
13. Al Purkey
14. Brandon McCormick
15. J.D. Hubert
16. Gary Stolba
17. David Turner
18. Aaron Seabaugh
19. Ricky Frankel
20. PJ Haskins
21. Reid Millard
22. Brantlee Gotschall
23. Larry Jones
24. Burl Woods
DNQ: Ron Bolin, Corey Zeitner, David Barker, Johnny Fennewald
MARS DIRTcar Series Points Standings (as of Aug. 11):
1. Bill Frye 819
2. Will Vaught 818 (-1)
3. Terry Phillips 798 (-21)
4. Jeremy Payne 790 (-29)
5. Jack Sullivan 782 (-37)
6. Al Purkey 750 (-69)
7. Brandon McCormick 666 (-153)
8. Steve Rushin 584 (-235)
9. David Turner 320 (-499)
10. Gary Stolba 291 (-528)
11. Joey Mack 275 (-544)
12. Chris Smyser 266 (-553)
13. Scott Drake 260 (-559)
14. Brad Looney 259 (-560)
15. John Anderson 240 (-579)
15. Larry Jones 240 (-579)
