Larry Phillips from Springfield, Missouri was born July 3, 1942 in Springfield, Missouri, He attended Bois D'Arc grade school in a suburb of Springfield, Missouri and Parkview High School in Springfield, Missouri, son of Jim and Margie Phillips (died September 21, 2004) was an American racing driver and race car builder with a driving career starting in 1960 and running until 2001, the only person to win the NASCAR

NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...

 Weekly Series national championship five times. He won that title in 1989, 1991, 1992, 1995, and 1996. As a driver, he won seven NASCAR Weekly Series regional championships and thirteen track championships.

NASCAR touring series

Phillips competed in one NASCAR touring series race in 1976. The race was a combined Winston Cup (now Sprint Cup Series) / Winston West Series (now NASCAR K&N Pro Series West) event at Ontario Motor Speedway

Ontario Motor Speedway

The Ontario Motor Speedway, located in Ontario, California, east of Los Angeles, was the first and only automobile racing facility built to accommodate major races sanctioned by all of the four dominant racing sanctioning bodies: IndyCar Series and USAC for open-wheel oval car races; NASCAR for a ...

. He started 24th and finished 13th overall. Since he was the highest finisher in a Winston West car, he was credited with a win in the class.

Racing career

After years as a star in Midwestern dirt Late Model racing, Phillips switched to asphalt tracks in 1989 when two tracks near I-44 Speedway, Lebanon MO and Speedway USA, Bolivar MO him were paved. That year, driving an asphalt Late Model that he owned, Phillips won 23 of the 27 NASCAR-sanctioned races that he entered, and won the track championship at Bolivar Speedway in Missouri.

In 1990, Phillips added James Ince (later a winning Winston Cup crew chief) to his team, and won 32 races in 40 starts in 1991 at race tracks in Kansas and Missouri.

The team's success continued in 1992 at the same race tracks, winning 38 times in 40 starts despite a trailer fire en route to the only double-feature event on their schedule. The team had more than 70 wins for the season including some late season dirt races.

In 1995, Phillips once again won 32 out of 40 races, winning the national championship over Greg Biffle

Greg Biffle

Gregory Jack "Greg" Biffle is a NASCAR driver who drives the #16 3M Ford Fusion for Roush Fenway Racing in the Sprint Cup Series. After racing in the NASCAR Winter Heat Series in the mid-90s, he was recommended to Jack Roush by former announcer Benny Parsons...

by a tiebreaker.

In his final national championship season, 1996, Phillips earned 14 wins in 20 starts.

He was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2000, but continued to race until the first race of the 2001 season. With his energy fading, he retired rather than race without confidence in being ready to win.

Honors

• As part of the 25th anniversary of the NASCAR Weekly Series in 2006, Phillips was named one of the series' All Time Top 25 drivers.