Simply put, Gary Phillips is a legend in Australian drag racing. 

Sunday, in front of a capacity crowd at Darwin's Hidden Valley Drag Strip, he provided proof while he's an icon in Pro Alcohol racing, he's still very much on the competitive edge in Top Doorslammer competition. 

Phillips successfully defended his Top Doorslammer event championship and put an exclamation mark on his final appearance as a Lucas Oil-sponsored driver. His qualifying elapsed time of  5.721 was also a personal best for the 47-year veteran. 

"We couldn't have thought of a better way to finish up our 20-year partnership," Phillips said. "We won the first event
with Lucas Oil on our car back in 1997, and also won the final one in 2017. It was a great way to bookend one of the longest sponsorships in Australian history. A sincere thank you must go out to Forrest, Charlotte and Morgan Lucas, Tom Fredrickson, Bob Patison, Tom Bogner & Australian manager Jeff Pahlke, along with
the entire staff at Lucas Oil Products for everything they have done for us over the past 20 years. They are
like our family and will be friends for life."

"Unfortunately our future is uncertain at this time, as we are currently searching for a new major marketing partner, in order to keep two of the most competitive cars in Australia out on the track. After coming off the back of our recent event win, and our current position as leader of the Pro Slammer championship, we are hopeful that a new deal can be secured in the near future."