McPhillips Racing Duo Rich Sr. and Rich Jr. Named to National Dragster’s Annual ‘Movers, Shakers, and Deal Makers’ List

Rich McPhillips Sr. and Rich McPhillips Jr. Selected for the National Dragster’s Annual List of 18 Individuals
Whose Impact Is Helping to Redefine the Future of NHRA Drag Racing

By: McPhillips Racing

BROWNSBURG, Ind. (April 21, 2025) – Rich McPhillips Sr. and Rich McPhillips Jr. from McPhillips Racing have been named to the National Dragster’s 2025 ‘Movers, Shakers, and Deal Makers’ List. The magazine’s third annual list highlights 18 individuals that are recognized for their work behind-the-scenes in the National Hod Rod Association (NHRA).

Hailing from Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, Rich McPhillips Sr. formed McPhillips Racing in 1969. Since then, the team has earned nearly 100 wins and nine regional/divisional championships during their 56 years in competition (Rich McPhillips Sr. – 3, Troy Coughlin Jr. – 2, Matt Cummings – 2, Mike Coughlin – 1, Tony Stewart – 1).

Today’s drag racing landscape is about more than just reaction times and win lights; it’s a dynamic blend of strategy, business acumen, innovation, and passion. Success is now just as dependent on partnerships, planning, and promotion as it is on raw horsepower.

As the sport’s audience grows at a record pace, some of the biggest influencers in drag racing aren’t found behind the wheel. So who are the visionaries guiding the sport into its next era? Read the full story below on Rich Sr. and Rich Jr., written by Phil Burgess for National Dragster.

Rich McPhillips, Top Alcohol Dragster car owner and instructor

For Rich McPhillips Sr. and his son, Richie Jr., drag racing isn’t just a career – it’s a calling – and they have quickly become the go-to guys for turnkey A/Fuel Dragster operations. Their A-list clientele is highlighted by motorsports legend Tony Stewart, who handpicked the McPhillips team to help guide his entrance to drag racing in late 2022.

The McPhillips family has carved out a niche in the NHRA that’s all about making other people’s dreams come true, providing those dreams come with hard work and humility.

From his own humble beginnings as a racer and even a national event-winning driver in Top Alcohol Dragster, the senior McPhillips knew he’d have to be resourceful to keep his racing dreams alive.

“I’m an old gas station guy, and I pretty much came to the realization that if we were going to continue at a high level, I had to get creative. Skip Gladstone was my first rental deal in 1998, and we went down to Gainesville for his first [divisional] race, won that, and almost set the national record.”

Since then, the McPhillips team has guided a string of successful racers to wins in their cars, including Troy Coughlin Jr., Matt Cummings, and Mike Coughlin, and, most recently, Anthony Troyer stood in the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals winner’s circle, powered by McPhillips horsepower and guidance. Jasmine Salinas won the 2022 NHRA Gatornationals in her own car, but with the McPhillips family calling the tuning shots.

“We like to fulfill dreams,” Rich Sr. said. “There are a lot of people who are fortunate enough financially to have that part covered, but they don’t have the time or the desire for the aggravation of driving, pit crews, and servicing, so they show up with a helmet in one hand and a check in the other – and that’s what we’re about.”

The ideal client? Someone with prior experience at speed – Super Comp, Top Dragster, even Top Sportsman – and a racer’s mindset. But a checkbook alone won’t get you in the car.

“We want to deal with racers. We’re out here to win races, too,” he emphasized. “Some show up with high expectations and low willingness to learn, thinking it’s easy. Others think they’ll jump in, win, and be done. Neither is reality. We prefer someone that’s all-in for 16, 17, 18 events, but it’s all a handshake deal. If someone wakes up and don’t like the way we parted our hair that morning, they can leave; no hard feelings. And if they have dreams of going Top Fuel, like Tony [Stewart], this is the obvious next step.”

Their approach isn’t just methodical – it’s personal. Rich Sr. and Jr. adjust the car to fit each driver – pedals, steering, seat pours, head pours – and then they observe. Their program is straightforward but built on discipline, and Richie Jr. vets each new driver carefully in advance and provides what amounts to a drivers’ manual.

“I send them a rundown of exactly how our program works, from how we tow the car, start it, what to do in the water box, even the turnoff,” he said. “The ones who come back with it memorized or with good questions, that’s how you know they care. Tony Stewart memorized it forward, backward, and upside down.”

“It’s the Cliff’s Notes version of how to be successful, and it’s very simple to follow,” Rich Sr. added. “I tell them all, ‘By your sixth or seventh run, everything on this list will hopefully come natural and muscle memory will kick in,’ and it usually does. The ones who are still making mistakes four or five runs in, you just say, ‘Have a nice day.’ I don’t care how much money you got, you’re going to end up wadding up a car and embarrassing yourself and the team.”

Drivers who treat the program seriously earn the McPhillips’ respect. Those who don’t … well, they don’t last.

“If you have some personal thing to prove to yourself, your wife, or your girlfriend, we’re not the team for you,” said Rich Sr. “If you show up with an entourage and GoPro cameras, we’re not the team for you. We keep a low profile, we keep our heads down, and we work. People say the McPhillips’ don’t have any fun because we’re working all the time, but we have plenty of fun in the winner’s circle.”

Also new to the McPhillips team this year is Melanie Johnson, daughter of nitro-tuning legend Alan Johnson. Unfortunately, she and Troyer had to race in the first round at the Winternationals.

“No matter who is driving our cars, we race heads-up every run,” said Rich Jr. “It’s not the most strategic way if you’re chasing a championship – and we know we could have already won a championship if we didn’t – but it’s the right way.”

With four complete cars in the shop and two usually operating at most events, the McPhillips outfit runs like a well-oiled machine – literally and figuratively. They know the cost of high-level performance, and every lap counts.

“When you stick everything in a bag at the end of the year – fuel, flights, wages, tires – you’re talking $2,000-$2,200 a lap, and we don’t break a lot of parts,” said Rich Sr. “But still, when someone signs up [for] five, 16, or 17 events and we do six or seven laps per race, the money they pay is almost a wash, but it lets us stay competitive and do some R&D or build new cars.”

The family is currently building a new shop and home on 10 acres in Indy to better support their East Coast and Midwest operations, though their hearts – and sports allegiances – remain in Pennsylvania. “I’m still gonna be a Phillies and an Eagles fan,” Rich Sr. professed, “and even though it’s only 12 hours from Pa., at home, it’s very convenient to be there.

“We were home for Christmas and slept in our own bed for the 24th time in four years,” Sr. laughed. “People think we’re crazy. But this is what Richie and I love to do. This is where the passion lies.”

Rich Sr.’s passion began in 1969 when, at just 15, his high school shop teacher let him drive an A/Altered. That same chain of opportunity and mentorship is what the McPhillips team now extends to others – if they’re willing to listen, learn, and commit. “He was crazy as a coot to let me in there, but that was the opportunity I was given, and I feel like I’m giving that back now.”

-McPhillips Racing-