Bristol, TN: This seasons NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals brought Tommy Phillips and his Tigerflow/K&N Engineering team to Bristol Dragway for the first time in his illustrious sportsman career. The Texas based campaigner adapted quickly to the often tricky weather patterns of Northeast Tennessee to capture the event title in Super Gas. The win marked Phillips’ second NHRA national event crown of the season, and the 23rd of his career.
“What can you say when things fall into place,” asked a jubilant Phillips. “My Tigerflow and K&N Engineering backed Corvette Roadster was flawless. My driving was pretty solid, and I got the breaks when I needed them,” he said. “My first two opponents made really good runs, but we were able to be just a bit better. In the quarterfinals, I ran 9.900 against Tom Stalba. That could’ve easily been 9.899; and we might be talking about his victory. Then Scott Lawton broke in the semi’s and limped the car up for the final round. Don’t get me wrong, I’m ecstatic to win the race; but no one wants to win that way. I felt bad for him.”
Phillips did dodge a pair of bullets early in eliminations. He used a .014 reaction time and near-perfect 9.907 to defeat solid run from Ray Balian in round one. In round two, he improved to a stellar .001-induced 9.908 to dispense the .018, 9.910 run of Richard Campbell. He got a break in round three when Dale Koncen was timed out in staging, which set up the quarterfinal match with Stalba.
There, Phillips took a slight advantage at the starting line, .013 to .016, and posted a perfect 9.900 to Stalba’s 9.916.
“That was the key round,” admitted Phillips. “I had just lost in Super Comp, and had to face Stalba in Super Gas. Anyone who follows the sport knows he’s a top contender, so I had my hands full. He hit the brakes at the finish line, and I didn’t do a horrible job but I took the stripe by more than I wanted to. It just worked out: 9.900. Like I said, that could’ve easily been 9.899. But when it’s your day the thousandths fall your way. This time they fell my way.”
The victory advanced Phillips to the semi-final round where he used a .012 reaction time and 9.923 to defeat David Owens by just .005 of a second. The other semi-final matchup was a bizarre round between Scott Lawton and Kenny Threatt. Threatt had mechanical issues in the staging lanes and was unable to make the call. On his single, Lawton apparently broke an axle just after leaving the starting line, and idled to the victory. Though Lawton and his crew attempted to fix his roadster, they were unable and he limped to the starting line for the final. Phillips left nothing to chance, posting another competitive reaction time (.015) and shutting off early to win with a 9.96 ET.
As if Phillips’ Super Gas victory was not enough reason to celebrate, his team nearly added a second event title when Riley Ledbetter advanced to the final round in Super Comp. Ledbetter, who travels with Phillips and drives the CBS Arc Safe Dragster made his first NHRA final round appearance but fell to Shane Carr (who defeated Phillips earlier in Super Comp eliminations with an incredible .003 package) in the closing stanza.
“It was really neat to see Riley do well. He hasn’t been racing long, and I think this race will give him a shot of confidence and a taste of success. Obviously, it would have been a dream ending had we both won, but it was a really good outing nonetheless.”
The win marked Phillips’ second NHRA national event victory of the season, with the other coming in Super Comp at the NHRA Spring Nationals in Houston. He’s also hoisted the Wally trophy at three NHRA Lucas Oil Divisional Events, and won a pair of IHRA Nitro Jam events in the young season. Last weekend’s victory puts Phillips atop the NHRA Lucas Oil national standings in Super Gas once again with 529 points. He’s also currently tied for the national lead in Super Comp at 492 points.
Phillips and his Tigerflow/K&N team will continue their Eastern tour this weekend at the NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in Norwalk, OH. From there, the team will continue to Chicago, IL for the O’Reilly Route 66 NHRA Nationals. At that event, Phillips will represent Division 4 as he competes in the elite JEGS Sportsman All-Stars competition in both Super Comp and Super Gas.
In addition to major marketing partners Tigerflow and K&N Engineering, Phillips and his Philco Motorsports team wished to acknowledge the following partners for their vital role in the teams continued success. Those partners include CBS Arcsafe, Art and Randy Zunker of B’yond Reason Racing, Tracy Dennis and Sunset Racecraft, Robert and Wynette Hudgins of Lee-A Incorporated (Clyde, TX), Hoosier Racing Tire, Hughes Performance, Lucas Oil Products, the staff and customers of TNT Supercars, as well as Duane and Heidi Robison, and Brett Patterson.
Article Credit: Bogacki Marketing Solutions