Phillip McGilton has had an incredible year thus far in his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series rookie season.  He saw no reason to let up this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

McGilton had never raced at Atlanta, so he relied heavily on the knowledge he gained while testing at the 1.54-mile track earlier this year.  The team made many necessary adjustments to the No. 22 Tundra during the one and only practice session Friday morning.  McGilton and his crew finished the session with the 14th fastest truck.

McGilton made his first qualifying attempt on the Atlanta intermediate track that afternoon.  His lap of 32.109 seconds put him in the 17th position for the start of the 200-mile race.

As the race got underway Friday night, McGilton buckled down and made headway on the racetrack.  By lap 10, the handling of his truck became loose going into turn three.  He was relieved to see the caution flag wave on lap 18, enabling him to pit for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment.  McGilton restarted the race in the 14th position.

As the race continued, McGilton drove hard as he tried to maintain his position on the 1.54 mile track.  His truck remained loose and had developed a vibration, forcing McGilton to focus as he tried to move through the field.

McGilton and the rest of the field were forced to make green flag pit stops during a long green flag run.  He came to pit road on lap 91, and his No. 22 crew worked fast to make changes.  The team made a trackbar adjustment during the four tire stop, and McGilton quickly returned to the track.

Rain began to fall, which prompted two cautions during the final 20 laps of the race.  McGilton collected a 16th- place finish at the end of his first Atlanta race.

The Craftsman Truck Series will race again in two weeks at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.  The race will be televised live Saturday, March 29 on the FOX Channel.