Larry Phillips: Celebrating a legendary NASCAR Local Racing Series career through photography

A five-time NASCAR Local Racing Series Powered by O'Reilly Auto Parts national champion, Larry Phillips will be forever known as one of the greatest short-track competitors in NASCAR history.

Born July 3, 1942, Phillips started his career on dirt before transitioning to paved competition in the 1980s.

His success on paved tracks was immediate. He captured his first Weekly Series national title in 1989. He is shown here accepting his first Weekly Series championship trophy.

A native of Springfield, Missouri, Phillips was a fan favorite across the Midwest at tracks like Lebanon I-44 Speedway and Bolivar Speedway.

I-70 Speedway, located in Odessa, Missouri, was considered Phillips' home track. It's unknown exactly how many races Phillips won there because record books for the era are incomplete.

Larry Phillips (center) is pictured here with crew chief James Ince (right) and another crew member. Ince once estimated that Phillips won 1,000 times...or maybe 2,000. With records incomplete, we'll never truly know.

Larry Phillips won his second of five Local Racing Series national championships in 1991. 

Larry Phillips' team always worked hard to make sure he had the best equipment with which to chase wins and championships.

Larry Phillips never made it to the top levels of NASCAR, but he did make one NASCAR Cup Series start. That came at Ontario Motor Speedway in 1976, when he finished an impressive 13th.

In addition to his five national championships, Phillips also earned seven NASCAR Local Racing Series regional championships during his career.

In 1995, Phillips won his fourth Local Racing Series national title in a tiebreaker with future Cup Series star Greg Biffle. He is shown here accepting his championship ring from the late Bill France Jr.

Lebanon I-44 Speedway was one of several tracks Phillips visted on a regular basis. In addition to his national championship accolades, he is credited with 13 track championships at various facilites in three states.

Phillips captured his final Local Racing Series national championship in 1996, winning 14 of the 20 races he entered on his way to the title.

While many records about Phillips' racing days are incomplete, what is known is that from 1989 to 1996, he won an incredible 220 of 289 NASCAR-sanctioned races. That's a winning percentage of 76 percent.

During NASCAR's 75th anniversary season in 2023, Phillips was honored as one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers. He passed away in 2004 after battling lung cancer.