Gary Phillips 

Phillips route to the final took him past Robert Ambruosi in the first round and Rob Pilkington in the semi finals, with the car never leaving the 5.4s.

Phillips said the field had stepped up to match the pace his Lucas Oils Funny Car has had for years.

“It's like 5.40s are easy now,” he said. “We were trying to run a 5.30 in the final, it never quite got there, we were trying to get the record back.

“Number one qualifier, win the race; that is a good start to the season and we have something we can work on now.”

Phillips said his focus is now on lowering his times and he doesn't care if it comes at the expense of future wins.

“We're about performances, the winning is a bonus,” he said. Lucas (Oil) is about keeping that engine alive and we didn't put a bearing in it at all.”

Both Top Doorslammer and Top Alcohol next head to Adelaide International Raceway on March 14-15 for the Pro Series 1000.