Spot Light on Larry Phillips

[Brian Conn]

  What can I say about Larry Phillips.....didn't matter if it was dirt or asphalt he was in it to win, countless hundreds of times.
  What I'm posting here is some pictures and stories behind the pictures...if anyone else has pictures or stories ,please share with us.


Larry's old house on Warren St. in Springfield, Mo.  My wife Amy lived a few houses down from Larry when she was a little girl.  She tells of 2 or 3 stock cars in the front yard at any given time....before the tree and shrubbery of course...kind of hard to imagine.  The neighborhood kids would gather at Larry's to witness the going ons....Larry would put them to good use and have them play "Bouncy car" where as the kids would literally bounce the stock car.  The kids thought it was fun, but I imagine Larry was checking suspension travel or body contact on a tire....who knows??  After he was done checking what ever , he would send the kids away to play in the street and then would holler for the kids to come back when he needed them.



One or possibly both of these cars where "bouncy cars"


Larry is working the inside groove....engine size not exceeding 429 cubic inches!!!  PUNY

 
Mark Martin and Larry


  Looks like some sort of essay project for school.....


Another picture outside of his "speed shop"  Amy relates to me that her late husband Ted would go to an automotive speed shop for some goodies...she went a long a few times and thinks its off of old Commercial St. on a side street...will have to check it out on our next trip to Springfield. 

 
Another picture from some where in Springfield.


  Nice rig




Forgot when this happened...1977 or 1978   anyway, drove under the rear of car and ruptured the fuel cell resulting in a fire that gave him severe burns.


  This was in the racing program for the 2nd. annual Kansas Snow Fly Stock Car Nationals (1979) which was held at the Shawnee County fairgrounds here in Topeka, Ks.   note that it shows Larry being a resident of Springfield , Ill. ooppss.

 
  Photo I took at the Shawnee County fairgrounds 1/2 dirt track during the big Spring race in 1980


 Larry Phillips in a Ford???  yep, a Ford Mustang body anyway...1981 Granite City, Ill. National Outlaw Stock Car Assoc. race




  Not sure if this is from the same race in Granite City, Ill. or not.  Larry running the Mustang in a National Outlaw Stock Car Assoc. race 1981


  The car he ran in '77 and '78 at the fairgrounds track in Springfield, Mo.

 

  In the later part of his career on asphalt.


The rest of these are just random pictures that I have....

[Lefturns75]

Great pics Brian.  It has only been 47 years, but I really think the building on Kearney was directly across from where the health care sign is in your photo or somewhere very close to it.  The photo with the box van and trailer was at 520 W. Commercial.  I was told that after Larry moved from there, the building burned down but dont know for sure.  He also was in a shop on West College but I do not know the address.  I am not for sure but I think the B/W photo of the Garretts Propane car was at the rear of the shop on West College.  I am pretty sure it was sometime in 1971. The Car sitting next to it is Dean Ropers Chevelle.   Next time you go to Springfield, check out Alli's Resturant.  It used to be the Seven Gables Truck Port and I understand Larry had a lot of meals there.  It was also on the side of his car a few times.  I think it is on W. Chestnut Expressway. 

I ran across this photo of Larry while looking for something totally unrelated.  I am not sure but I think it was taken at the Fairgrounds.  Not only is the number and Dayco sponsor a dead give a way, the front is all beat up so you know its him.  Check out that funky roll cage!


Do you have any photos of one of his Katz Discount Drug Store sponsored Impalas?  Most of those were so beat up it is hard to tell if they are a 62 or 63.  I was going to post up a pic of Larry in a coupe chasing Jack Belk at Joplin but I cant find it.  I may have lost that one when Photobucket went nuts.  I have a few more for your collection even though they are not very good.




 

[john2]

   Quite a collection of pictures.  Priceless.  Thanks to you both for showing them.

[Brian Conn]

Thanks to my wife Amy, more pictures have been discovered...

  I think that this very well could have been the car that he raced here at Topeka at the Heartland Park road course.


A dirt car on asphalt....why not!











  I believe that this is a Larry Phillips tribute car ...something else to hunt down.



..In Black and White and COLOR

[Lefturns75]

Here are a few more I can add to the pile-----

[bandit2026]

Its several things all at once, soft right rear spring, stagger across front, and lots of torque coming off corner.

[Lefturns75]

During some of those years, there was a tire rule but you could use whatever you wanted on the right front.  When you stick a big tire and offset rim on one of those Land Yachts with a stock drum brake hub, throw the car in a turn, It's gonna break.  Ask me how I know.  Most of those cars used a wide five hub on the right front to solve the problem with lots of negative camber, just look at some of the photos.  These cars at that time were not high tech by any means and you did what you had to do.  What really made them work and go fast was the guy sitting behind the steering wheel---sorta like 80% driver and 20% car.  For what those guys did with the equipment they had, they were all supermen in my book. 

[Brian Conn]

This thread is taking on a life of its own...huge debt of thanks to my wife Amy who's brain I have been picking for locations of some of the pictures from Springfield and also for her unselfish assistance in tracking down even more pictures and information on things I never even knew of. Thanks also is due to local Springfield area racer Larry Andrus for having some never before seen (by me at least) pictures and clarifying some of stuff Lefturns75 and myself were second guessing on.  Huge thanks to Lefturns75..George.. for the ground truth as he was there.
 
   
 
  I never knew he raced motorcycles....Amy read somewhere that a friend of Larry's stated Larry liked to go fast, whether it was the bike, stock cars or his plane...the plane makes sense due to the fact he raced pretty much coast to coast and border to border...


 










  Larry didn't always drive his own equipment, or Chevy's for that matter....being a hired shoe makes sense.  Cant tell you anything about the 0 car, or either of the #4 cars (asphalt and dirt)...  the White over Red MOPAR was an IMCA Stock Car that he drove.  The #50 looks like an USAC Late Model from the late '70's.  The 57 car he drove for Kenny Schrader.    Other cars of note that have already been pictured that differed from his normal rides are the Mustang bodied Late Model that I posted and the # 36 "Joplin" Modified that Lefturns 75 posted.

 
  Lefturns75....this is in my Fotki acct. If you need it e-mailed let me know.


  The great Ernie Derr on the Left...


  YEA!! Real racing...none of that fake stuff!


Larry working that Richard Petty line around the track.


WHOOPSY...kinda dinged the ride a little.


  One of his first stock cars...the Red 75


More random pictures....

[Lefturns75]

About the 17th photo down, the Garrett's Propane/Dayco chevelle at CCS May 15.  That was 1970 and I was one of the figures just to the right of the announcer booth on the top row of the stands.  That was the CooP Twin 50's and Larry won em both.  He spun out in hot laps, spun in the heat and started the first 50 tail back.  Before lap 20 he was leading and by lap 50 he lapped the 2nd place car.  The second feature was inverted start of the first so Larry was on the Pole, so you can figure how that one went.  $500 to win each feature so he goes home with $1000 of CCS money.  I to this day think he goofed off in the heats so he could start tail back in the first race and have pole in the second.  There were a lot of people that didnt know who Larry was  That all changed at this race because when any big money race was held here at one of the three tracks, Larry dropped in and took the money.  In 1971 Razorback Speedway had two $1000 to win 100 lappers and Larry won them both.  He was a real blast to watch and when he needed to, he drove like a madman. 

[Brian Conn]

...And to think that , for all intents and purposes, this thread started with a Larry Phillips build that David Bogard did....I guess this proves that no matter what you may think of your own build, it very well could serve as an inspiration for others 

  I have pretty much amassed all there is picture wise...with the help of my wife Amy who scoured the net relentlessly digging up all she could on Larry, his sponsors over the years, racing programs with him in it, old shops in the pictures...in fact as of 2014 the building pictured with the Ford ton and a half cube van, open trailer and Camaro still stands.  I have a feeling that our next trip to Springfield will be like one of those historic exploration shows on the History Channel seeing how many of those old buildings still stand.....she's armed with addresses and phone numbers! 
  A Larry story as told to me by Amy's cousin Billy Hanna who, like Amy, grew up in the same neighborhood where Larry lived at on Warren St.  I think he said this occurred frequently in the Late 60's -70's
     " Larry would win the feature at the fairgrounds (fairgrounds track in Springfield, Mo.) and then load up and drive home blowing the horn on the hauler the entire way.           

  I have went back and added some pictures to previous post in this thread due to their relevancy of related pictures already posted...what is posted below is it for me picture wise....

 For those of you who may not be familiar with Larry Phillips or his achievements , I think this picture may explain things a little better.
 

...And now a word from our sponsors.



Random pictures.......

















Stock stub Late Model...perhaps one of the old Chevelles gave its frame?










 
 

[Brian Conn]

From the Bolivar Herald-Free Press:

Driver Larry Phillips dominated racing like no other area athlete
The first time I saw Larry Phillips race was more than 35 years ago. I never saw him start a race that I did not think he could win - never.

By By:Dave Strader
 Sep 24, 2004

In the hey day of racing at the Bolivar Speedway - when bets were made amongst the good ole boys - it was against the rules to bet on Phillips, because it was a given that if he finished, he'd win.


Many say that he was the best ever, and I won't argue with that. His accomplishments include about 2,000 victories, five NASCAR Winston Racing Series titles and his inclusion in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.


Larry, as is the case with many racers, always had an interest in flying. (It's the speed.) When the new Bolivar airport opened, he moved his plane here and became friends with the folks who hung around the airport. That's when he and I became friends. He eventually bought some land from the city and, along with Stan Shobe (his racing crew chief), started Mid West Aero.

 
Phillips lived in Bolivar for a time, but his medical condition, along with his wife Judy's recuperation from a motorcycle accident, necessitated their move back to their Springfield home.


He flew his airplane just like he raced the car, and anyone who saw his little yellow Glassaire cross the sky knows what I mean. After he had to give up flying for health reasons, he got into motorcycles and soon he owned five - the most famous of the lot was a Harley given to him by Ken Schrader and Rusty Wallace.


Every bike he owned was modified to make it faster. Larry mentored and raced with many of today's top NASCAR stars including Mark Martin, Wallace, Jamie McMurray and Schrader. When you answered the phone at the race shop, there was a good chance it would be one of those high profile racers checking on Larry or seeking advice.

Larry passed away Tuesday morning at the age of 62 after a four-year battle with cancer. This afternoon (Friday), legions of fans, family and friends will celebrate his life at the memorial service in Springfield.


After the funeral, Larry's son Terry will head to Lebanon, strap himself in the famous No. 75 and try to put the finishing touches on another championship season. Terry holds the points lead in the Mid America Racing Series going into this weekend's twinbill at the Lebanon I-44 Speedway.


Terry told me Wednesday to be sure and be there because, "I might even try a little harder than usual."

My money will be on Phillips - nothin' new here!

Rest in peace "Champ."

Sports editor's note: The first time I saw Larry Phillips race was at the Fairgrounds Speedway in Springfield in the 1960s. After the race show, a powder puff race was held. The driver of Phillips' red, '62 Chevy, No. 75, was the star of the powder puff show.


The alleged wife of a pit crew member drove off the end of the track, drove back on, hit the gas, hit the brakes, almost hit other competitors and just made racing hectic for the other powder puff drivers. "She" also made it fun for the spectators.


When "she" got out of Phillips' car after the race, "she" had a cigarette in her mouth - not very lady-like in the '60s. "She" took off a long brown wig and was - you guessed it - Larry Phillips.


Hopefully, I've been reasonably neutral in my writing as I've reported on hundreds of Phillips' wins over the years. The truth is now out, though. I've been a huge closet Larry Phillips fan all these years.