Joe Phipps, of Newark, who was one of only a handful of race car drivers from Delaware to actually compete in what is now NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series, died Saturday at the age of 74. Phipps, a longtime resident of Newark, was born in Piney Creek, N.C., but called Delaware his home state. He competed in nine Grand National events in his career in 1970 and ’71. Before taking his turn in NASCAR, Phipps was a renowned drag racer and dirt-track driver at tracks such as Cecil County, Atco, Lincoln and Susquehanna. Joe Phipps then moved on to NASCAR when things were far different from the high-dollar glitzy world of today’s Sprint Cup Series. Phipps worked on, maintained and drove his #65 race car against much-better funded drivers such as Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough and Bobby Allison, among others. Phipps’ NASCAR career got off to a solid start in 1970. He made his debut in 1970 at a race in Rockingham, N.C. He started 34th in a field of 40 and managed to stay out of trouble before finishing 16th. It was part of a respectable season for Phipps, who finished among the top 20 in five of his seven starts and failed to finish only two races. His best finish was an 11th-place outing at Beltsville. Unfortunately, Phipps’ Cup career ended after just two races in 1971. He started 17th at Richmond but had ignition trouble early and finished 26th. Then, at Dover, he blew an engine and finished 37th. Phipps, a Korean War veteran, was employed by the Pennsylvania Railroad and then by M&G Convoy. Services for Phipps will be held at 11 a.m. today at R.T. Foard and Jones, Inc., 122 W. Main St., Newark. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the American Stroke Association c/o R.T. Foard and Jones. To send condolences visit www.rtfoard.com.(Delaware News Journal)(6-23-2010)
