Russell Phillips

Russell Lee Phillips (March 6, 1969 — October 6, 1995) was an American NASCAR Sportsman Division driver. He was killed in a crash at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1995.

Personal life Phillips graduated from Independence High School in Mint Hill in 1987 before working for his father's truck equipment company. After competing in short tracks across the Carolinas, he moved to NASCAR's Sportsman Division. He also worked as a fabricator, volunteer firefighter, and preacher. He also 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. He was nicknamed “Bubby” due to his large, intimidating stature. By all reports, he was an extremely kind man, sometimes referred to as a gentle giant.

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. They lived together in Mint Hill, North Carolina, and had no children.

Career While little is known about his career, it is known that Phillips independently owned and drove the No. 57 car. Most of his career, he was a middle of the pack driver and hardly got attention from the media, but he started making a name for himself in 1995 with strong runs. His best finish was an 8th place finish in 1993. He received sponsorship from local companies such as Mullis Well Drilling, Quesco, and later in his career, Hendrix Business Systems.

Death The 1995 Winston 100 at Charlotte was the 15th series start for Phillips, who entered the race having just won his first pole position after setting a lap speed of . Phillips led the first two laps of the race before falling back through the field. In video footage taken at the scene of the accident, the first rescuer is initially shown running to the car, then immediately turning away after seeing Phillips' body and realizing the hopelessness of any attempt at resuscitation. The track was littered with debris, blood, and several body parts, necessitating a lengthy red flag period while track officials cleared the track.

The race resumed after a 40-minute red flag. Track president Humpy Wheeler elected not to cancel the event, citing Phillips' wreck as a "freak deal." In 1996, a roof reinforcement that had a bar running down the windshield from the roof to the hood of the car was made mandatory on all NASCAR vehicles. It was called the Earnhardt bar after Dale Earnhardt was seriously injured in a crash at Talladega in the DieHard 500. Charlotte Motor Speedway also withdrew from the Sportsman Division in 1996, following three deaths in six years, citing Phillips' death as "the last straw".