The 3,300-pound Chevy was actually Taylor's ride in the Stock wars for its first two race seasons, but Phillips took over the helm when Taylor switched to a '75 Corvette for his 2003 campaign. "It's a great car," Taylor says of the Nova that last year at "The Rock," he steered to the first nine- second pass in IHRA Stocker history. "If it has a good driver, it'll win."

Phillips qualified number two and made it through the first round of eliminations in March before the Spring Nats were rained out and relegated to the first half of a doubleheader in October. When the fall event got underway the entire Stock class got just one time trial before heading back into elimination rounds.

"It just so happens that it blew the tires off, which was surprising because it's just so consistent," Phillips recalls. "So when I ran the first round of eliminations that day, we didn't even know what it was going to run. I dialed in at only 10 (seconds) flat because we decided we'd see what it does and take it from there. I broke out, I went a 9.94, but the other guy (Greg Rowe) broke out more, so I was really lucky there."

For the rest of her seven passes it took to secure the win, Phillips never ran more than a hundredth off her dial-in time. In the Spring Nationals' final round she squared off against the 1987 Camaro of two-time Quick Rod world champ Scotty Stillings and left with a .008-secs starting line advantage. After running 9.937 on a 9.92 dial, Phillips wound up needing that holeshot, as Stillings went 11.525 on an 11.51 dial, adding up to a margin of victory of just .0065 seconds.

Driver: Missy Phillips Hometown: Lumberton, NC Car: 1971 Nova Color: Black/yellow stripes Weight: 3,300 lbs Engine: 502 c.i. big-block Chevy Engine builder: Terry Taylor/Jeff Warren Carb: Holley double-pump 850 cfm Manifold: Stock Heads: Stock Valve train: Stock Cam: Crane Pistons/Rods: Stock Ignition: MSD box/Holley distributor/Accel wires Headers: Hooker Fuel system: Harwood fuel cell/Holley electric pump Radiator: Stock Water pump: CSI Torque converter: ATI Differential: 12-bolt Chevy by Moser Rear gear ratio: 4:30:1 Shocks: Koni Brakes: Stock drums Wheels/tires: Bogart/Hoosier (9"X30" rear) Wheelbase: 111 inches Interior: Stock Interior color: Black Gauges: Auto Meter Best ET/speed (1/4 mile): 9.86 at 133.81 mph

"She deserved it," Taylor says. "I was a bundle of nerves before that run. I don't get that way when I win, but it turned me inside out to see that."

The consistently quick performances of Phillips' understated Nova are starting to draw attention.

"I think when you go off to some of these tracks, some of the fans think it's pretty neat because it looks so ordinary," she says. "To think I've gone a 9.86 in it, and it runs 133 miles an hour, that's pretty neat. I'm not real sure how much our competitors like it, though. I don't really know that they like being that far down the track and having something chase them down. It's kind of hard to judge when it's coming that fast."