Saturday, June 5, 2021

Race 13 of 33: B&L Transport 170 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

Track Specs: 2.258-mile road course / 75 laps

Weather: Partly Cloudy; 84 degrees

Race Winner: AJ Allmendinger
Paludo’s Finish: 27th

Making his third and final start of 2021 for JR Motorsports, Miguel Paludo, driver of the No. 8 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet, ran up front and fought inside the top five in the closing laps of Saturday afternoon’s NASCAR Xfinity Series event at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Then, while battling for fourth during NASCAR’s version of overtime, Paludo’s promising run came to an abrupt halt as contact with another driver on the white flag lap sent the driver of the BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet sliding off into the grass. As a result of the incident, the Brazilian driver was relegated to a 27th-place finish. 

Stage One Finish: 34th

Paludo lined up for the 75-lap event around the 2.258-mile road course in 29th after the field was set via the rulebook earlier in the week. Once underway the Nova Prata, Brazil native looked to settle in as he tried to learn the 12-turn road course as these were his first laps on the Mid-Ohio circuit. Unable to get in a groove early due to a lap-1 yellow, Paludo was able to improve five positions before the caution waved. Once the field went back green Paludo steadily climbed forward as he gained three additional positions before the field was once again slowed by a yellow on lap 8 with Paludo scored in the 21st. The field settled in after the ensuing restart and Paludo worked his way to 18th before trying a different pit strategy from the front-runners, entering pit road on lap 23 for fuel only. With two laps remaining in Stage One, Paludo was in position to stay on the lead lap until a lap-25 off-track excursion forced Paludo to fall one lap behind the leaders as the green-and-white checkered waved shortly after on lap 25.

Stage Two Finish: 23rd 

With Stage One in the books, the Nova Prata native received the lucky dog and was put back on the lead lap. Once back on the lead lap, crew chief Taylor Moyer made the call for Paludo to bring the No. 8 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet to pit road for four fresh tires. Taking the green for the start of Stage Two from the tail end of the lead lap, Paludo set his sights forward, needing only three laps to race back inside of the top 20 and was up to 19th as a lap-40 caution bunched the field back together. Remaining on track during this caution, the No. 8 Camaro restarted from the 16th position and joined the top 15 for the first time on lap 44. Moyer made a strategy call to bring the BRANDT Professional Agriculture Camaro to pit road for fuel only on lap 47 and reentered the race in front of the leaders to hold on to the 23rdposition and remain on the lead lap as Stage Two came to a close on lap 50.

Final Stage

With the BRANDT Professional Agriculture Camaro filled with fuel before the end of Stage Two, Moyer made the call to bring Paludo back down pit road in order to change four fresh tires during the stage-break. Restarting from 11th, the Six-Time Porsche Carrera Cup Brazil Champion started his ascent inside of the top 10 as he raced into ninth following the restart to begin Stage Three. Running in seventh, the field was again brought back together on lap 68 as a caution slowed the field. Staying on track, Paludo restarted from the seventh position and joined the top five shortly after on lap 72 before another caution set up NASCAR’s version of overtime. Coming to the green flag for the first attempt at a Green-White-Checkered finish, Paludo was set to move forward as he immediately raced into fourth.

 

Crossing under the White Flag in the fourth position, Paludo exited Turn 1 looking to make a move on third before contact with another car knocked the JRM driver sideways, sending him off the track. As a result of the contact, Paludo ultimately slid back to the 27th position as the checkered flag waved.

Miguel Paludo, driver No. 8 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet team

“I have had a great time working with Taylor (Moyer, crew chief) and the entire No. 8 BRANDT Professional Agriculture crew this year. They are some of the best I have worked with and they made it really fun to be out on the track. I can’t thank BRANDT and everyone at JR Motorsports enough for this opportunity. I just wish I could have gotten them a better result today and we almost had it.”

JR Motorsports Race Report