What started as a bumpy weekend for ARCA RE/MAX Series rookie Phillip McGilton turned into a solid finish in Saturday’s inaugural debut in the Construct Corps-Palm Beach Grading (PBG) 250 at USA International Speedway.
McGilton participated in both practice sessions on Friday and Saturday turning in respectable times but the sessions didn’t come without incident. On Friday, the No. 47 SIPerformance Ford Fusion got loose in turn one, causing light damage to the rear of his machine. On Saturday, McGilton once again was battling a loose condition and looped his machine causing additional damage to the rear of his Brewco Motorsports machine. Fortunately, the damage in both incidents was ruled cosmetic and the necessary repairs were made to prepare McGilton for qualifying.
“The car was wicked loose in both practice sessions, ” explained the rookie. “I think we would have been able to overcome the early handling issues of the car if we tested here, but that’s just part of the game. We’re making changes to the car, I think we’ll be good to go for qualifying and the race. ”
In time trials, McGilton maneuvered a lap of 23.006 seconds at 117.361 MPH good enough for 27th on the starting grid. “We qualified on time and the car is better, ” he said. “The goal is to run a clean and steady race while protecting our points position. ”
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