Russell Phillips was killed in a crash at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1995 at the age of 26. His autopsy result is yet to be released even after about 2 decades.
Russell Lee Phillips was an American NASCAR Sportsman Division driver. He started his carrer in 1990 after competing in short tracks across the Carolinas.
While little is known about his career, it’s known that Philips independently owned and drove the No. 57 car. His best finish was an 8th-place finish in 1993 while competing in NASCAR Championships.
He received sponsorships from local companies such as Mullis Well Drilling, Quesco, and, later in his career, Hendrix Office Machines.
Highlights
- Russell Phillips was an American NASCAR racer sportsman division driver who competed from 1990 to 1995.
- Phillips lost his life on October 6, 1995, during a crash at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, competing in the Winston 100.
- Russell Phillips’s death cause was mentioned due to the deadly crash. However, the autopsy result was not released.
NASCAR driver Russell Phillips died on October 6, 1995, during a crash at the Charlotte Motor Speedway while competing in the Winston 100.
The crash is considered one of the most gruesome in NASCAR history. He had just won the pole position for the race.
Phillips’ death sparked a serious debate about roll cage design practices, construction methods, and inspection techniques for NASCAR Limited Sportsman Division cars.
Russell Phillips’ Tragic Death In The Winston 100: One Of Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Most Gruesome Crashes
The 1995 Winston 100 at Charlotte was the 15th series for Phillips. He entered the race, having just won his first pole position.
At that time, the 67-lap race was scheduled for Wednesday night. However, it was postponed until Friday by Hurricane Opal.
He had set a lap speed of 157.444 miles per hour and led the first two laps of the race before falling back through the field.
He led the first two laps but had fallen back to about 10th position. In turn four, the cars driven by Joe Gaita and Morris W. Bice got together and spun.
In the 1995 Winston 100 race, Russell Lee Phillips was killed when his vehicle was struck by Steven Howard's car, which veered to evade a two-car spinout.
— Morbid Knowledge (@Morbidful) July 29, 2024
Phillips' car was forced onto its right side, then it crashed roof-first into the retaining wall, killing him instantly.… pic.twitter.com/n7LN93X9Ro
Similarly, Gaita and Bice had already spun to the apron when the car driven by Steven Howard, 21, of Greer, S.C., reached the scene. Phillips was just behind him.
The crash that killed Russell Phillips occurred on lap 17 of the event when his Oldsmobile was hit by the car of Steven Howard. Regarding the incident, Howard had said,
I saw them spin, and then the spotter told me to go high and I went high. They said I got clipped. I don’t know if the 57 [the car driven by Phillips] didn’t let off or what. I remember getting hit and I turned up on my left side and I fell back down. He must have hit me from the rear.’
Steven Howard
Howard’s car forced Phillips’ car onto its right side, then smashed it roof-first into the retaining wall, killing him instantly.
The roof and the roll bars were sheared off the car. When it came back down on the track on its four wheels, there was nothing but a gaping cavity where the top of the car was supposed to be.
The catastrophe was so intense that it is regarded as one of the most gruesome wrecks in NASCAR history.
One of the freelance photographers who shot from inside the fourth turn, Tom Whitmore, remembers the incident as one of the most gruesome. He said,
`It looked like someone had taken a can opener to the roof, It was like there was a cave where the roof was supposed to be, like someone had scooped it out. That’s as gruesome a wreck as I can ever recall,
Tom Whitmore
Russell Phillips’s Autopsy Results Has Yet To Be Released; His Body Was Dismembered And Decapitated
The area where the crash occurred was frightful. The track’s steel catch fence reportedly mutilated Phillps’s body.
Moreover, the track was littered with a tremendous amount of debris. Phillips’s helmet was found at the entrance of the pit road.
In one video footage of the accident scene, the first rescue is initially shown running to the car. He immediately turned away after seeing Phillips’s body.
It is reported that the scene was so frightful. The rescuer felt pity, realizing the hopelessness of any attempt at resuscitation.
After the crash, more than a dozen NASCAR officials, including Winston Cup director Gary Nelson and vice president of the competition Mike Helton, inspected the crash side.
NASCAR also allowed a single photographer into the area to take photographs for their investigation.
It has been about two decades since the crash happened. However, the authentic autopsy result of Russell Phillips has yet to be released.
Russell’s fans are yet to shed light on what happened to their favorite NASCAR racer.
Shortly after the crash, NASCAR spokesman Kevin Triplett had said,
We investiage every accident indivuduallly. We take pictures of all incidents we look into. That’s part of our investigative process. We’re going to look into it just like we would anything else.’
Kevin Triplett
However, in the end, Russell Phillips’s death was called out as the result of the deadly crash, with no other specifying details.
Additional Information
- Phillips was the third driver to die in the NASCAR sportsman division, an entry-level series designed to give local short-track racers experience on big speedways.
- In 1996, Charlotte Motor Speedway withdrew from the Sportsman Division following 3 deaths in 6 years, citing Phillips’ death as “the last straw.”
- Russell 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.
