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Kevin Kovac
CONCORD, N.C. (October 28) - Terry Phillips is back on top of the O'Reilly MARS DIRTcar Series.
After watching his longtime adversary Bill Frye capture two consecutive titles on the Midwestern dirt Late Model tour, Phillips regained the spotlight with a convincing march to the 2008 crown.
"It feels good to win the championship again," said Phillips, a 42-year-old racer from Springfield, Mo., who finished second to Greenbrier, Ark.'s Frye in the MARS points standings the two previous seasons. "Every year we set out to win it, but it doesn't always work out. Two years in a row we had some problems and Frye did everything right, so we're happy that the tables turned in our favor this year."
The title gives Phillips four career MARS championship trophies, leaving him one behind Frye's record total of five. They remain the only two drivers to win a championship in the tour's nine-year history.
"Me and Bill race hard every year, so I guess we're what you call 'rivals,'" said Phillips, who has never finished worse than second in the MARS points standings. "I guess it was my turn this year, but he's still one (title) up on me. We'll have to see if we can tie him up next year."
Phillips actually felt little pressure from Frye along the 2008 MARS schedule, which numbered 14 events at eight tracks in three states (Missouri, Mississippi and Kentucky). Frye, 48, experienced an off-year, failing to win a race and accumulating just six top-five finishes en route to a distant third-place finish in the standings, 166 points behind Phillips.
The biggest threat to Phillips was a fast-rising young driver he knows plenty about: his 23-year-old teammate and protege Jeremy Payne. A native of Phoenix, Ariz., who now lives in Springfield, Mo., in a home owned by Phillips, Payne finished second in the MARS points standings in his second full season driving an Andy's Frozen Custard/Don Babb Motorsports car fielded by Phillips.
"When you bring in your main competition, it makes it even harder to win the championship," smiled Phillips, whose racing operation also sports valuable assistance from such companies as Petroff Towing, GRT Chassis, Hatfield Engines and Integra Shocks. "Jeremy has really progressed well. He's always right there, and he's just getting better."
Payne wasn't quite good enough to knock off his boss, however. He put together a solid performance record of two wins, eight top-five and 11 top-10 finishes, but that still left him 79 points behind Phillips in the final standings.
Phillips was simply too strong on the MARS trail in 2008. He led the series with five victories - and even more impressive, he finished outside the top three just four times. One of his hiccups was a ninth-place finish on June 21 at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo., after he spun in lapped traffic while leading; his only DNF in a full-points race was a 23rd-place finish due to rearend failure on July 11 at Midway Speedway in Lebanon, Mo., in a race won by Payne. (Phillips also failed to finish two MARS/World of Outlaws Late Model Series co-sanctioned events in Missouri, on May 3 at Lebanon I-44 Speedway and May 4 at Monett Speedway, but the races offered only MARS show-up points.)
The mid-summer disappointment at Midway seemed to light a fire under Phillips. He closed the season with a rush, finishing among the top-three spots in the final seven A-Mains. He won three of the last four MARS events, including a $7,500 score in his late father Larry's memorial race on Aug. 30 at Lebanon I-44 Speedway (his second straight win in the six-year-old event); a $3,000 victory in the 37th annual 4-State Championship on Aug. 31 at Monett; and a triumph in the 40-lap season finale on Sept. 20 at Lebanon I-44.
"We struggled a little bit at the beginning of the year," said Phillips, who pushed his alltime-best MARS career win mark to 66 in 2008. "Then we brought out a new (GRT) car at the Show-Me (100 in West Plains, Mo., over Memorial Day weekend) - right before the MARS schedule really got rolling - and we've been very good ever since."
Phillips's second-half roll with the new car began with his sweep of a two-day MARS program on May 30-31 at Jackson Motor Speedway in Byram, Miss., and was highlighted by a memorable Labor Day weekend in his backyard. Accenting his holiday victories at Lebanon I-44 and Monett was an emotional night on Aug. 28 at his hometown Springfield Raceway, where Payne and Phillips finished one-two in the MARS-sanctioned John Kuntz Memorial. Kuntz, who founded the Andy's Frozen Custard chain, died in January.
"That was a special deal for us," said Phillips, who finished just a half car-length behind Payne in the 40-lap event. "John was a good man and a great supporter of our racing. It meant a lot to have our cars finish first and second in that race."
After enjoying a 2008 season in which he reigned supreme again on the MARS tour, emerged as the champion of the new Allstate Insurance Dirt Late Model Racing Association (DLRA, which co-sanctioned several races with MARS) and won 18 features overall (including three open-wheel Modified events), Phillips feels as energized for the future as an up-and-coming youngster.
"I haven't lost my drive and desire," said Phillips, a 24-year racing veteran who followed his legendary father into the short-track world. "My father never lost his drive, so hopefully I never will. The fire to win is still there."
Phillips will receive his O'Reilly MARS DIRTcar Series championship awards at the tour's 2008 awards banquet on Nov. 15 at the Clarion Grand Palace in Branson, Mo.
For more information on the MARS DIRTcar Series, visit www.dirtcar.com.
Final 2008 O'Reilly MARS DIRTcar Series Points Standings:
1. Terry Phillips 1,426
2. Jeremy Payne 1,347
3. Bill Frye 1,260
4. Steve Rushin 1,099
5. Chris Jones 1,056
6. Brandon McCormick 1,055
7. Jack Sullivan 833
8. Justin Wells 785
9. Will Vaught 725
10. Chris Smyser 617
11. Dusty Johnston 533
12. Brad Looney 475
13. Larry Jones 349
14. Patrick Johnson 280
15. Rusty Dukes 263
2008 O'Reilly MARS DIRTcar Series Race Winners:
May 3, I-44 Speedway, Lebanon, Mo. (Shannon Babb)
May 4, Monett Speedway, Monett, Mo. (Brian Birkhofer)
May 30, Jackson Motor Speedway, Byram, Miss. (Terry Phillips)
May 31, Jackson Motor Speedway, Byram, Miss. (Terry Phillips)
June 21, Lucas Oil Speedway, Wheatland, Mo. (Billy Moyer)
July 3, I-44 Speedway, Lebanon, Mo. (Jesse Stovall)
July 11, Midway Speedway, Lebanon, Mo. (Jeremy Payne)
Aug. 22, Paducah International Raceway, Paducah, Ky. (Brian Shirley)
Aug. 23, I-55 Raceway, Pevely, Mo. (Dennis Erb Jr.)
Aug. 28, Springfield Raceway, Springfield, Mo. (Jeremy Payne)
Aug. 29-30, I-44 Speedway, Lebanon, Mo. (Terry Phillips)
Aug. 31, Monett Speedway, Monett, Mo. (Terry Phillips)
Sept. 19, I-44 Speedway, Lebanon, Mo. (Jesse Stovall)
Sept. 20, I-44 Speedway, Lebanon, Mo. (Terry Phillips)
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