Frye & Phillips Ready To Continue Personal Battle For MARS Late Model Supremacy In 2007
by: Kevin Kovac, DIRTcar Racing Public Relations

CONCORD, NC – April 9, 2007 – Frye vs. Phillips. Phillips vs. Frye.

It’s been the theme of the Mid-America Racing Series (MARS) since its inception in 2000, and it likely will continue during the dirt Late Model tour’s 2007 season.

Bill Frye of Greenbrier, Ark., and Terry Phillips of Springfield, Mo. – the only champions MARS has even known – will be back battling each other and a host of other hungry regional racers for this season’s title.

The MARS opener was scheduled for Sun., April 8, at Monett (Mo.) Speedway, but a forecast of frigid temperatures forced the event’s postponement to Sun., May 6. As a result, the ’07 MARS campaign will now kick off this weekend with a doubleheader at the reconfigured Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, Ill. (Fri., April 13) and Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo. (Sat., April 14).

When that first green flag falls, all eyes will certainly be on Frye and Phillips, who are the unquestioned MARS Kings. Frye owns a series record four points championships (2001-2003, 2006), and Phillips captured the inaugural title in 2000 and back-to-back crowns in 2004-05.

You can bet that Frye, 47, and Phillips, 40, will go at each other in all 20 scheduled MARS dates – though not quite as ferociously as earlier in their careers.

“We still race each other hard, but not the same way we used to,” analyzed Frye, who has more than a quarter-century of dirt Late Model driving experience. “When we first started racing each other, we raced each other real hard – sometimes too hard.

“We were both younger and hungry then, so we’re a lot better with each other now.”

Phillips, whose late father Larry is acknowledged as one of dirt Late Model racing’s alltime greats, has noticed a gradual calming in his personal battle with Frye as time has passed.

“We still battle hard, but now I’m gonna give up a little bit and he’s gonna do the same when we race together,” said Phillips, who finished second in last year’s MARS point standings. “We realized it doesn’t do either of us any good if we wreck, and we’ve gotten along pretty well ever since.”

All the laps of dirt-track combat have also brought them to the point where they are totally familiar with each other’s tendencies behind the wheel.

“I know a lot of what to expect from him and I’m sure it’s the same from his point of view,” said Frye. “When you race anybody a lot, you know what move they like to make, and you know how to counter it and maneuver around it.”

“We kind of know to always expect something different from each other,” commented Phillips. “He’s a good driver, so I know he’s going to keep doing things different to give him an advantage. It’s up to me to counter that.”

Frye will go for a fifth MARS title this season after contemplating retirement at the end of the 2006 campaign. An ever-increasing workload at his ‘GRT by Frye’ speed/chassis shop, family commitments (including his wife’s health scare) and the physical and emotional drain that invariably results from years of grueling travel had him close to hanging up his helmet.

But Frye was invigorated by an enjoyable ’06 season, which included four victories en route to the MARS crown. A heart-to-heart talk with his wife prompted him to cancel any retirement plans, and now he’s ready for another spin down the MARS highway.

Of course, Frye was happy to see the postponement of Sunday’s scheduled MARS lidlifter. He was in need of an extra week’s preparation time for his familiar GRT No. 66 equipment.

“We got three complete cars (sold) out of our shop this week and we still have one of mine to finish up,” Frye said shortly before the opener at Monett was pushed back one month. “Yesterday was a 16-hour day so I’m pretty burnt out, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“I’m excited about this season. I really like this series. The number of races and the travel does fit my schedule well, and I enjoy the people on the series.”

Phillips, meanwhile, heads into the 2007 season with only one noticeable change to his team: Andy’s Frozen Custard has stepped up to be his primary sponsor.

Already a winner this season twice (during a January trip to Arizona), Phillips is focused on reclaiming the MARS title he ceded to Frye last year. He fell short of joining Frye as a MARS champion in three consecutive seasons.

“We have to try to stay more consistent,” said Phillips. “We had some bad-luck stuff happen to us last year that normally doesn’t happen, like a fan blade breaking and hitting the radiator. If we can avoid that kind of stuff, we should be O.K.”

Phillips will also field a second car in MARS competition this season for up-and-coming Jeremy Payne, a 21-year-old native of Arizona who has relocated to the Midwest to further his career.

“I see the potential in him,” said Phillips, who wouldn’t be surprised to see Payne contend for the MARS title in 2007. “I feel I can help him get to where he wants to go.”

Payne isn’t the only driver who figures to give Frye and Phillips a run for their money on the MARS trail this season.

Jeff Taylor of Cave City, Ark., who finished third in last year’s MARS point standings, remains a favorite to overtake Frye and Phillips. Other drivers to watch include Steve Rushin of Poplar Bluff, Mo., Billy James of Sikeston, Mo., Justin Wells of Aurora, Mo., Jeff Floyd of Walnut Ridge, Ark., Will Vaught of Crane, Mo., Dane Dacus of Arlington, Tenn., and Joey Mack of Benton, Mo.

The series is currently scheduled to visit tracks in five states, with Missouri serving as the tour’s epicenter. Eight speedways in the Show-Me State will have races, with two events set for Kansas and one each in Illinois, Kentucky and Nebraska.

Most MARS features will offer a $3,000 top prize.

Missouri’s Lebanon I-44 Speedway will showcase the MARS stars on a total of six dates, including a pair of two-day shows. The track’s multi-day events are the annual $10,000-to-win Larry Phillips Memorial on Aug. 31/Sept. 1 and the ‘Midwest Madness Featuring MARS vs. MLRA’ on Sept. 21-22.

The Larry Phillips Memorial is the biggest show on the 2007 MARS sked – and the race one particular driver would most like to win.

“I want to win any race I’m in,” said Terry Phillips, “but winning that one would be special. I’ve never won it.

“I don’t really think about that race – until it gets closer. Then I think more about it. That’s probably why I’ve struggled there the last few years, because maybe it’s in my mind.”

Other Missouri ovals on the schedule are Monett (three dates), Lucas Oil Speedway, Bolivar Speedway USA, Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, Airport Speedway in Springfield, Poplar Bluff Speedway and I-55 Raceway in Pevely.

Joining the tour this season is I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Neb., which will bring MARS to the Cornhusker State on May 27.

Back as part of the MARS tour in ’07 are the popular ‘MARS vs. UMP Clash’ events, which debuted last season. Three ‘Clashes’ are set for consecutive nights late in the summer: at Popular Bluff Speedway (Aug. 23), Paducah (Ky.) International Raceway (Aug. 24) and I-55 Raceway (Aug. 25).

MARS will also participate in two ‘Midwest Madness’ programs in conjunction with the Midwest Late Model Racing Association (MLRA). The first will be this Saturday night at Lucas Oil Speedway, and the second is set for Lebanon I-44 Speedway later in the season.

New in 2007 will be two ‘MARS vs. World of Outlaws Challenge’ events. MARS will co-sanction 360 OTC World of Outlaws Late Model Series shows on June 16 at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., and June 17 at the Belleville (Kan.) High Banks, with the UMP Hoosier 20/40 tire rule in effect both nights.

All 2007 MARS events will also offer UMP DIRTcar Racing points.

For more information on MARS, log on to www.midsouthracing.com/marsindex.htm.

2007 MARS Late Model Schedule

April 13 – Fri. – Tri-City Speedway/Pontoon Beach, IL
April 14 – Sat. – Lucas Oil Speedway/Wheatland, MO (MIDWEST MADNESS FEATURING MARS vs. MLRA)
May 4 – Fri. – Bolivar Speedway USA/Bolivar, MO
May 5 – Sat. – Lebanon I-44 Speedway/Lebanon, MO
May 6 – Sun. – Monett Speedway/Monett, MO
May 27 – Sun. – I-80 Speedway/Greenwood, NE
June 2 – Sat. – Lebanon I-44 Speedway/Lebanon, MO
June 9 – TBA
June 16 – Sat. - Lakeside Speedway/Kansas City, KS (MARS vs. World of Outlaws Challenge)
June 17 – Sun. – Belleville High Banks/Belleville, KS (MARS vs. World of Outlaws Challenge)
July 7 – Sat. - Lake Ozark Speedway/Eldon, MO
Aug. 4 – Sat. - Airport Raceway/Springfield, MO
Aug. 5 – Sun. – Monett Speedway/Monett, MO
Aug. 18 – TBA
Aug. 23 – Thurs. - Poplar Bluff Speedway/Poplar Bluff, MO (MARS vs. UMP CLASH)
Aug. 24 – Fri. – Paducah International Raceway/Paducah, KY (MARS vs. UMP CLASH)
Aug. 25 – Sat. – I-55 Raceway/Pevely, MO (MARS vs. UMP CLASH)
Aug. 31/Sept. 1 – Fri./Sat. – Lebanon I-44 Speedway/Lebanon, MO (Larry Phillips Memorial)
Sept. 2 – Sun. – Monett Speedway/Monett, MO
Sept. 21 – Fri. – Lebanon I-44 Speedway/Lebanon, MO (MIDWEST MADNESS FEATURING MARS vs. MLRA)
Sept. 22 – Sat. - Lebanon I-44 Speedway/Lebanon, MO (MIDWEST MADNESS FEATURING MARS vs. MLRA)

*** All dates are tentative & subject to change ***