Steve Phillips, a veteran USAC team owner who earned 19 career wins in the USAC National Sprint Car Series with drivers Dave Darland and Jason McDougal between 2013 and 2019, passed away on October 4, 2025. He was 70.

Phillips' iconic black No. 71p became a fixture in USAC competition, collecting several marquee victories--most notably with Darland behind the wheel. The pair earned 17 series wins together, beginning with the Larry Rice Classic in 2013 at Bloomington Speedway (Indiana).

Darland's most successful USAC National Sprint Car season came in his first year with the Phillips team, when he captured seven victories, including the Sprint Car Smackdown at Kokomo Speedway (Indiana) and the Oval Nationals at Perris Auto Speedway (California).

Together, Darland and Phillips won the final night of Smackdown for three straight years from 2013 to 2015. During the 2014 event, Darland drove Phillips' car to his 53rd career win--making him the all-time winningest driver in USAC National Sprint Car history at the time.

That same season, the duo scored six additional victories, highlighted by a win at the Tony Hulman Classic at Terre Haute Action Track (Indiana). Their final season together in 2015 produced four more wins, capping an impressive partnership that left a lasting mark on USAC competition.

In 2018, Phillips and his wife, Carla, returned to USAC National Sprint Car victory lane with Jason McDougal, who triumphed at I-55 Raceway (Missouri). The team's final win came in 2019 at Bridgeport Motorsports Park (New Jersey).

In total, Phillips' team made 260 USAC National Sprint Car feature starts between 2010 and 2025, fielding cars for drivers including Clinton Boyles, Shane Cockrum, Jerry Coons Jr., Shane Cottle, Dave Darland, Justin Grant, Darren Hagen, Jason McDougal, Cannon McIntosh, Billy Puterbaugh Jr., Carson Short, Mike Spencer, Stevie Sussex, and Kody Swanson. Most recently, during the 2025 season, the team competed in eight series events with rookie Chelby Hinton.

Born and raised in Phoenix, Phillips began his own racing career in sprint cars and midgets in his home state. In his rookie season of 1977, he scored his first career midget feature victory at Manzanita Speedway. He later claimed the Sprint Car Owners Association driving championship in 1990.

During the 1990s, Phillips relocated--first to Texas and later to Indiana--where he joined the Hall-VDS Racing IndyCar team as a full-time mechanic. There, he worked on cars driven by John Andretti, Teo Fabi and Gil de Ferran.

A member of the Arizona Motorsports Hall of Fame, Phillips also made 13 starts as a USAC Silver Crown team owner, fielding entries for Billy Puterbaugh Jr., Matt Goodnight, Dave Darland and Jason McDougal. The team's best Silver Crown finish came with Darland's fourth-place run at the 2017 4-Crown Nationals at Eldora Speedway (Ohio).

Image of Steve Phillips, left, and his wife, Carla Phillips, right, with USAC rookie Chelby Hinton, center. Image courtesy of Phillips Motorsports #71P.