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Tue, 24 Mar 2026, 00:08 AM

Rich McPhillips Jr. Wrap Up

Courtesy of Ashley Wilson, ACW Promotions

SERIES: PR-DRAG HEADLINE: Rich McPhillips Jr. Wrap Up TEASER: REPORTER:Courtesy of Ashley Wilson, ACW Promotions PHOTO_CAPTION: TYPE:STORY SLUG: BENSON – Rich McPhillips Jr. Wrap Up

Rich McPhillips Jr.
McPhillips Racing Top Alcohol Dragster
IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series
Darana Raceway Park
March 19-21 | Benson, North Carolina

Rich McPhillips Jr., Driver of the McPhillips Racing Top Alcohol Dragster

Event Recap
Rich McPhillips Jr., driver of the McPhillips Racing Top Alcohol Dragster:
• Earned No. 4 provisional qualifying position in Q1 on Friday (3.552 ET at 223.80 mph)
• Secured No. 6 qualifying position in Q2 on Friday (3.547 ET at 225.11 mph)
• Advanced to the Finals on Saturday:
• Round 1: 3.459 ET at 231.04 mph, defeated Joey Severance (3.482 ET at 220.84 mph)
• Semifinals: 3.477 ET at 228.61 mph, defeated Jackie Fricke (3.676 ET at 222.18 mph)
• Finals: 3.493 ET at 229.78 mph, defeated Jamie Noonan (3.545 ET at 229.04 mph)

Notes of Interest
• The IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series at Darana Raceway Park, formerly known as Galot Motorsports Park, marked McPhillips’ first Top Alcohol Dragster victory in the IHRA.
• McPhillips’ Round 1 win ET of 3.459-seconds set a new track record for elapsed time.
• Darana Raceway Park marked McPhillips’ third final-round appearance in the IHRA, the most by any Top Alcohol competitor. His previous final-round appearances came in 2025 at Darana Dragway 42 in West Salem, Ohio and Darana Dragway in Milan, Michigan.
• McPhillips represented Alan Johnson Performance Engineering, NGK Spark Plugs, Lucas Oil, ARP, Boninfante Friction, VP Racing Fuels, and King Bearings on his Top Alcohol Dragster.
• While 2026 marked McPhillips’ first Ironman as a driver, he was part of another IHRA victory in 1989 when Rich McPhillips Sr. won as a car owner/crew chief for driver Peter Gallen at Bristol Dragway in Alcohol Funny Car (see picture below).
• Rich McPhillips Sr. won his own Ironman from the driver’s seat in 2010 in Grand Bend, Ontario driving Pro Fuel Dragster.

Photo credit Auto Imagery

“You can’t explain what it means to win. When the scoreboard lights up, it’s a great feeling. The great thing about running eighth mile is you’re able to see who wins. I have to thank all of my guys – Kenneth, my Pop (Rich McPhillips Sr.), Larry, Earl, and Bill. We were short crew guys and they all stepped up. This is a team effort and we raced a great team tonight. It’s always awesome to be able to beat them. It’s been a couple years since I’ve gotten a trophy, so it feels good.”

Next Up
McPhillips Racing will be back in action at the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals April 9-12 at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Pomona, California with Melanie Johnson and Anthony Troyer behind the wheel in Top Alcohol Dragster.