The BRANDT driver holds his second race of the season on a road course for the Xfinity Series this Saturday
Miguel Paludo returns to carry the Brazilian flag on the grid of a NASCAR race this Saturday. The BRANDT driver will drive the Chevrolet Camaro # 8 cockpit prepared by JR Motorsports at the debut of the Xfinity Series at the modern Circuit of the Americas (COTA), a Texas track that hosts the US F1 GP and the North American stage of MotoGP.
Unlike his debut in February, the Brazilian will now be able to practice and qualify his car – that reinforce his optimism for a convincing new presentation.
When he competed in the Daytona roval in February, Paludo had his first contact with the car in the presentation laps. Due to the restriction imposed by the covid-19 prevention protocol, the Xfinity Series stage was concentrated in just one day, with no tests, practices or qualify.
Although he never rode in this car either on the mixed version of the Daytona track, Paludo did well. He started from the bottom of the field, at 35th and used the first segment of the race to climb the field. He was one of the fastest on the track and disputed the fourth position when he suffered a flat tire. He fell back to the bottom of the grid, even missing the leader’s lap. But again he knew how to negotiate the overtaking and position himself well in the restart, to receive the checkered flag in eighth place.
Now, with practice, qualify and on the Austin track that is unprecedented not only for him but for the entire grid, the expectation is higher.
No less than 43 cars are entered in the race, including big names from the NASCAR Cup Series like Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch. This Friday, practice takes place. The qualify is in the early Saturday afternoon, with the start for the race of 46 laps (or 156 miles) at 4pm EST by Fox Sports.
What Miguel said:
“It’s another circuit that I don’t know about, but now unlike Daytona, it has a 50-minute practice because it’s NASCAR’s debut there. Most drivers do not know the track, which level the entire grid and still have a 50% chance of rain both on Friday and Saturday. This ends up bringing even more excitement to the weekend as a whole. I did many hours of simulator, which helps to have brake parameters and references. I can’t wait to sit in the car on Friday and train. The expectation is high because we showed in Daytona the speed to fight in the front. Of course, with the Cup drivers on the grid, the competition will be even higher, but we have to concentrate on our work and do our best to represent BRANDT as it deserves ”
Miguel Paludo
ABOUT BRANDT:
A leading agricultural company, BRANDT serves producers and farmers worldwide. Founded in 1953 by Glen Brandt and his sister Evelyn Brandt Thomas to help farmers in Illinois adopt new and profitable technologies, the company experienced aggressive growth under the leadership of President and CEO Rick Brandt. BRANDT’s focus is to provide products and services that give producers the best opportunity for maximum return, while building a stronger, healthier and more abundant food supply. For more information, visit BRANDT on the web at: www.brandt.co and www.brandtbrasil.com.
ABOUT JR MOTORSPORTS:
JR Motorsports is the race management and operation company formed by Dale Earnhardt Jr., 15 times the most popular NASCAR driver and winner of 50 NASCAR-sanctioned races. Now in its 20th year of general competition, JR Motorsports runs in several divisions, including the NASCAR Xfinity Series, where it won championships in 2014, 2017 and 2018. The company also competes in the Late Model competition and has five championships in regional model divisions late. To learn more about the organization, its pilots and their sponsorship opportunities, visit: www.jrmracing.com.
CONTACT
Luis Ferrari
ferrari@ferraripromo.com
