Phillip McGilton - Three Wide Life Racing

Phillip McGilton kicked off his first year in NASCAR with a great finish last week at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. He expected to finish strong again this weekend at California Speedway.

McGilton had never raced on the two-mile California Speedway. He showed his patience and talent during Thursday’s practice. With two good practice sessions under their belt, McGilton and his No. 22 Three Wide Life Toyota crew were looking forward to qualifying. However, rain set in and cancelled qualifying. Like the rest of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series field, McGilton was forced to start off of last year’s points. The young driver would line up 18th for the 100-lap race.

The second race of the season got underway Saturday afternoon, and McGilton started to move through the field. He reported to his crew on the sixth lap that his Tundra was neutral and running well.

McGilton continued to make great passes on the track and found himself in the 11th position when the caution flag waved on lap 14 for debris. McGilton and the rest of the field came to pit road. While other teams changed tires, McGilton took fuel only and restarted third on lap 18.

Driving smart and fast on the two-mile speedway, McGilton maintained his position in the top-15 throughout the next 30 laps. When the caution flag waved on lap 44, McGilton pitted for four tires and fuel. The No. 22 crew performed a great pit stop, and McGilton restarted ninth on lap 48.

Throughout the rest of the race, McGilton impressed many veterans in the field as he drove extremely well and brought home a great 10th-place finish. It was his first top-10 finish of his Craftsman Truck Series career, and it propelled him to a sixth-place standing in the Championship points.

The Craftsman Truck Series will race again in two weeks at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The race will be televised live Friday, March 7 on SPEED Channel.