Russell Lee Phillips was an American NASCAR Sportsman Division driver.
11 Facts About Russell Phillips
1.
2.
Russell Phillips was killed in a crash at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1995.
3.
Russell Phillips worked as a fabricator, volunteer firefighter, and preacher.
4.
Russell Phillips volunteered at a local racing school occasionally and was a devout Baptist, serving as the youth minister at his local church, serving as a mentor for many of the children there.
5.
Russell Phillips was married to Jennifer, a young woman he met on pit road in 1990 before one of his races while she was looking for autographs.
6.
Russell Phillips's best finish was an 8th place finish in 1993.
7.
Russell Phillips received sponsorship from local companies such as Mullis Well Drilling, Quesco, and later in his career, Hendrix Office Machines.
8.
The 1995 Winston 100 at Charlotte was the 15th series start for Russell Phillips, who entered the race having just won his first pole position after setting a lap speed of 157.444 miles per hour.
9.
Russell Phillips led the first two laps of the race before falling back through the field.
10.
Russell Phillips was in tenth place when his Oldsmobile was hit by the car of Steven Howard, who steered high to avoid a two-car spinout on the apron in turn 4.
11.
Russell Phillips' death resulted in a serious debate about roll cage design practices, construction methods and inspection techniques applied to NASCAR Limited Sportsman Division cars.