Traveling from Australia to the United States just to race a drag car might seem extreme, but for second-generation racer Cheyne Phillips, the journey is a lifelong dream realized. The price of distance is small compared to the chance to compete on U.S. tracks.
Phillips is the son of Pro Alcohol standout Gary Phillips, whose success shaped an expectation of excellence. Shayne has built his own résumé at home and now is testing himself stateside.
He debuted in America with Randy Meyer Racing and backing from Gunk, running Las Vegas with Pomona on deck. The chance checked a box he had carried since childhood.
“Yeah, it’s a pretty exciting thing, major life bucket list item that I got to tick off, all thanks to Randy Meyer and Gunk for making it all happen,” Phillips said. “We were able to put together a deal and… well, I got to do Vegas last weekend and get to do Pomona next weekend. So it’s a pretty exciting deal.”
Australia has produced a steady stream of racers who study NHRA tape and dream of lining up on American soil. Phillips said the move connects his family’s story to a bigger stage.
“Oh, ultimate goal would be to race over here all the time,” he said. “But no, this is just a short-term thing at this stage, just these two events, so nothing planned past that. We’ll just see what happens.”
At home, Phillips often served as the right-hand man in his father’s pit area. In the United States, he is the one strapping in while others turn the wrenches.
“It’s pretty cool. I wouldn’t say I got detail people, but it’s pretty awesome to be able to be in the driver’s seat and be able to do what I’m up to now,” he said. “Obviously, I’ve been running the Alcohol cars back home and doing fairly well at that as well. So to be able to come over here and race and live out a dream is pretty surreal.”
Some assume the next step is replacing his father in the cockpit. Phillips brushed that aside with a grin.
“I don’t need to,” he said. “We’ve both got our own cars.”
Shayne runs a Funny Car while Gary campaigns an altered. Their paths crossed at the Winternationals in a family showdown.
“We ran against each other at the Winter Nationals, qualified number one and three from memory at that race,” Shayne said. “I won the race. Dad got to the semi-finals. So yeah, we have both cars, so he doesn’t have to get out of the seat.”
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Gary Phillips remains as sharp as ever even as the years roll by. Cheyne said the competitive fire is unchanged.
“He’s getting older, but he’s still as competitive as he ever was and he still loves it,” Shayne said. “Yeah, I can’t see any reason why he wouldn’t be. We’re having fun doing what we’re doing and we’ll just see what happens.”
One thing missing from Shayne’s U.S. debut was his parents on the starting line. They stayed in Australia and built their weekend around his qualifying times.
“He was getting up at like 2:00 or 3:00 AM in the morning to watch my qualifying runs that were in the morning at Vegas,” Shayne said. “Then he’d be messaging me straight after the run. So that was pretty cool. It’d be nice if him and Mum were here, but it just didn’t work out that way.”
The distance did not dull the connection. Shayne said the calls and messages kept him grounded through the new routine.
“Yes, it is,” he said when asked if it felt odd to live the dream without them present. “It’s the first time I’ve ever run any sort of car without one of them on the start line with me, so that was difficult. But obviously Randy and Mary and the whole team that were over here made that transition pretty smooth. I know that they were watching and keeping on top of everything, so no, it was good.”
Results in Las Vegas offered validation. Phillips set personal bests of 5.22 seconds at 274 mph, qualified fourth in a deep 23-car Top Alcohol field, and showed consistency on the tree.
“I know we didn’t get past first round or anything like that,” he said. “Just lost a very tight race.”
He also adapted quickly to an A/Fuel car he had never driven before. His reaction times ranged between .028 and .036 on every pass.
“This weekend was pretty good for me,” he said. “But hey, we get to race in America, tick that off the list.”
Looking ahead, Phillips is keeping plans modest. The mission is to finish strong at Pomona and see what opportunities follow.
“No,” he said when asked about a 2026 schedule. “Right now, there’s no plans past Pomona. That’s about as much as we’ve got planned at the moment.”
He would welcome a longer stay in the States if the right deal appears. Until then, the lesson is to savor the miles and the moments.
“I’d like to do more racing over here if I can,” he said. “But in the meantime, I’ll just enjoy the two that I’m getting to do and hopefully have some good results down in Pomona next week.”
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