Australia's most successful drag racer Gary Phillips has admitted his long-term technical partnership with America's Lucas Oil Products will be a key factor in ending his 10-year winless streak at the Winternationals.
Phillips, who is determined to end a drought at Australia's biggest drag racing event despite scoring 12 victories there between 1978-2004, has been a Lucas Oil partner for more than 17 years.
Across his career, the Brisbane-based drag racer has taken 16 Australian Top Alcohol Championships, an Australian Top Doorslammer Championship, and 11 Australian Nationals wins - to give him a tally of 37 ANDRA Gold Christmas Trees.
"It's an absolute privilege to be part of the Lucas Oil team – they have been with me for most of those Championships," Phillips said.
"We run Lucas Oil with pride in both our Chevrolet Monte Carlo Top Alcohol Funny Car and our 1953 Studebaker in Top Doorslammer.
"The partnership works because of the success rate of both sides."
The reigning Top Alcohol champion pointed to the true testament of Lucas's product quality – that they use 'off the shelf' Lucas Oil lubricants and additives available to the general public.
"While we naturally get to try a lot of Lucas Oil Products before they become available to the public, after it has been developed what we use is what's sold – there's no special brews for us," he said.
"You can buy it over the counter and put it in your car exactly as we do – other companies can't boast that.
"With Lucas Oils – what you see is what you get. And it works very well. There are a lot of other guys out there with other oil sponsors that use Lucas products, but mask the fact that they use it. And that is the ultimate compliment for Lucas, because it shows that their products are the industry standard.
"It doesn't get much harder on Lucas' products than what we do to it in drag racing, and it performs well across the whole line right down to the car polish. There's really nothing but perfection in everything they do."
Phillips heads to next weekend's Winternationals, which boasts more than 430 competitors across a number of classes, in strong form – confident that the conditions should suit his Lucas Oil Funny Car.
"We're going ahead with all guns a-blazing for the Winternationals," he said.
"Willowbank Raceway is usually good for us, and the event will be mostly held during the day this year. That should suit us.
The Winternationals is held at Willowbank Raceway from June 5-8.
