Stock-Car Driver Dies In Accident -- Phillips Earned First Pole Starting Spot

CONCORD, N.C. - Russell Phillips, the pole-sitter in the Winston 100 NASCAR Sportsman Series stock-car race, was killed in a multicar crash at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The top and rollcage on the Oldsmobile driven by Phillips, a race car fabricator by trade and a volunteer fireman in Charlotte, were ripped apart in yesterday's accident. Officials said Phillips died of massive head injuries.

The crash occurred on lap 17 of the 67-lap event. The race resumed after about a 40-minute delay.

Phillips, 26, is the ninth fatality in the 36-year history of Charlotte Motor Speedway, including seven drivers and two mechanics. He is the third Sportsman driver killed at the track. The previous death on the 1 1/2-mile oval was Gary Batson, a Sportsman driver, in May 1992.

It was the 17th NASCAR Sportsman start for Phillips, who had one top-10 finish and had just won his first pole. Prior to Sportsman racing, he was a weekend short-track racer in the Carolinas for three years.

Phillips is survived by his widow, Jennifer. The Sportsman series is an entry-level competition on the superspeedway circuit. Most of the drivers have limited racing experience on big tracks. There were no other serious accidents in the race, which was won by Gary Laton in a Chevrolet.