In NASCAR, there are always stars that fill the grandstands and sell the merchandise. Then there are the “also-rans,” drivers who fill up the field and occasionally contend but don’t necessarily have the name recognition. Lastly, there are racers who only make a handful of appearances, often at a particular track or type of track, to maximize their chances of having a decent run.
Phil Barkdoll was one of those racers.
Barkdoll was a part-time competitor, beginning his NASCAR journey in 1984. His limited resources almost assured him that he wouldn’t win, but he chose to focus his efforts on the superspeedways, which at that time meant Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. They were the only two tracks at which Phil made any of his 23 Cup Series starts.
Many of the most recognizable moments in Phil Barkdoll’s career were crashes that he would have preferred that no one recalled. In fact, Barkdoll only finished 10 of those 23 starts, often due to crash damage.
Barkdoll did get plenty of coverage for his appearances at Daytona in both 1987 and 1988, although neither were particularly positive. During one of the qualifying races for the 1987 Daytona 500, Barkdoll went airborne, flying into the frontstretch catch fence during a spectacular crash.
Just one year later, he made contact with Richard Petty during the Daytona 500 itself, triggering one of the wildest crashes in Daytona history. If you’ve seen a video of Petty’s car doing a pirouette along the frontstretch at Daytona, chances are you caught a glimpse of Barkdoll’s red and white No. 73 sliding out of the picture just as the King’s car begins to tumble.
As if he were a glutton for punishment, Barkdoll kept coming back for more and misfortune struck again in 1989. During that year’s 500, a spin down the backstretch led to his car impacting a dirt embankment and flipping onto its side.
But 1989 also brought a career highlight for the Iowa native. In July, Barkdoll finished 15th in the 400 mile race at Daytona and matched it at Talladega a couple weeks later. The pair would turn out to be the best finishes of his Cup career.
There were more crashes, including a bizarre incident at Daytona in 1991. He spun coming off of turn 4 and the car lifted off the ground. The sudden change in pressure inside the car blew the windshield out but the car landed back on its wheels. Barkdoll returned to the pits for repairs and rejoined the race, finishing in the 20th position.
After failing to qualify for a few years and sitting out after a cancer diagnosis, Barkdoll attempted to run the 1997 Daytona 500. His qualifying time was fast enough to secure him a spot in the lineup but at the expense of Joe Nemechek and his new Felix Sabates-owned team. Sabates, desperate to get Nemechek and new sponsor Bellsouth in the race, paid Barkdoll to allow his team to use the No. 73 and its Daytona 500 starting spot. This enabled him to get both Nemechek and Bellsouth in the show.
Barkdoll would make one final attempt at Talladega in May that year, but the DNQ marked the final time he would try to qualify for a Cup event.
Even though Barkdoll wasn’t a household name, his presence is still part of the NASCAR story and his loss leaves a void for all of those who knew and appreciated him.
Frank Velat has been an avid follower of NASCAR and other motorsports for over 20 years. He brings a blend of passionate fan and objective author to his work. Frank offers unique perspectives that everyone can relate to, remembering the sport's past all the while embracing its future.
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