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Miguel Paludo
Paludo in 2012
Born	(1983-07-26) July 26, 1983 (age 41) Nova Prata, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Achievements	2008, 2009, 2017, 2020 Porsche GT3 Cup Brasil Champion
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
11 races run over 4 years
2023 position	45th
Best finish	45th (2023)
First race	2012 Sargento 200 (Road America)
Last race	2023 Pennzoil 150 (Indianapolis G.P.)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 2 0
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career
73 races run over 4 years
2013 position	9th
Best finish	9th (2013)
First race	2010 O'Reilly 200 (Bristol)
Last race	2013 Ford EcoBoost 200 (Homestead)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 25 1
Statistics current as of December 27, 2023.

Miguel Paludo (born July 26, 1983) is a Brazilian professional racing driver who competes full-time in the Porsche GT3 Carrera Cup Series. Paludo formerly competed in NASCAR full-time in the Camping World Truck Series, driving for Red Horse Racing and Turner Scott Motorsports. He has won four championships in the Porsche GT3 Cup Series, with three (2008, 2009, and 2020) in the Carrera Cup and the other (2017) in the Endurance Series.

Racing career

Early career

Paludo began racing go karts at the age of 14, and in 2004, moved up to touring car racing in a regional Brazilian series, competing for his family-owned team with his brother Daniel. He competed for several years in regional and national series in Brazil, most successfully in the Porsche GT3 Cup Brasil, where he won back-to-back series championships in 2008 and 2009.

2010–2013 and 2021–present: NASCAR

Paludo began his NASCAR career in 2010, competing in the K&N Pro Series East in a car fielded by Hattori Racing Enterprises. He finished fifteenth in the series standings that year, with a best finish of fourth. He also made his debut in the Camping World Truck Series, competing for Germain Racing and Red Horse Racing in four races. He finished ninth in his first race in the series, at Bristol Motor Speedway, widely regarded as a difficult track for rookie drivers.

In 2011, he ran full-time in the Camping World Truck Series for Red Horse Racing, with a best finish of third; he ended the season finishing seventeenth in the points standings and fourth in the series' Rookie-of-the-Year competition.

Following the end of the 2011 season, Paludo left Red Horse Racing to drive for Turner Scott Motorsports in the No. 32 truck with teammates James Buescher and Nelson Piquet Jr., another Brazilian driver. Paludo started the season with a pole in the season-opener at Daytona International Speedway, where he was the first Brazilian to win a pole in one of NASCAR's top-three series, and alongside Piquet Jr., comprised the first all-Brazilian front row in the history of NASCAR. But during the race, Paludo would suffer a very violent crash when his truck lost control and crashed hard into the inside frontstretch wall. The impact sent his truck spinning in circles and flew through the air while also catching on fire. Paludo would walk away from the crash unhurt. Paludo's best finish of the season (fifth) came in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and he ultimately finished 10th in the NCWTS driver point standings, his best points position to date. Additionally, Paludo ran two NASCAR Nationwide Series races in 2012, competing at Road America and Watkins Glen International, in the latter of which he earned his best NNS finish of 13th.

In 2013, Paludo returned to the No. 32 Chevrolet Silverado with Turner Scott Motorsports for another complete NCWTS season. At Talladega Superspeedway in October, Paludo was involved in a spectacular last-lap accident, his truck being flipped in the trioval.

Following the 2013 season, Paludo was released by Turner Scott Motorsports due to a lack of sponsorship. He was unable to find another ride in NASCAR for 2014.

In 2021, Paludo would return to NASCAR and the Xfinity Series (previously Nationwide) and would drive the No. 8 JR Motorsports in three road course races (the Daytona Road Course, Circuit of the Americas and Mid-Ohio) during the first half of the season, replacing Josh Berry, the car's driver for the first half of the season. JRM had announced months earlier that Sam Mayer would be driving the No. 8 car during the second half of the season, which was why Paludo was not given the car for all seven road course races on the schedule. The deal came about through BRANDT, Paludo's sponsor in Brazil, which was also the primary sponsor of JRM's No. 7 car of Justin Allgaier. Allgaier and Paludo were teammates at Turner Scott Motorsports from 2011 to 2013, and BRANDT was Allgaier's primary sponsor there as well, and in addition to that, they sponsored Paludo in one Truck race. Paludo would return to JR Motorsports for the same 3 events in 2022.

2014–present: Sports car racing

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2021)

After Paludo ended up not running any NASCAR races during the 2014 season, he moved back to Brazil in 2015 and began racing in the Porsche GT3 Cup Series again. He would also compete in and win one championship in both the Porsche Endurance Series as well as the Carrera Cup, giving him a total of four titles in the series across all of its divisions.

Personal life

Born in Nova Prata in the state of Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil, Paludo currently resides in Mooresville, North Carolina. He is married, and has one son, Oliver, with his wife Patricia.

Diabetes advocacy

Paludo was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2004 at the age of 21 and has since become an advocate of diabetes awareness and care. In addition to a long-standing relationship with the American Diabetes Association, Paludo announced in 2012 that he would become the next Blue Circle Champion for the International Diabetes Federation, a worldwide alliance of some 200 diabetes associations in more than 160 countries. Paludo is the first representative of the organization from South America.

Paludo and his wife Patricia also learned in 2012 that their son Oliver, at the time only eight months old, was also a type 1 diabetic. In response to the news, Paludo ran a special No. 32 Unite for Diabetes/Duroline paint scheme in the June 2012 NCWTS race at Texas Motor Speedway. The scheme featured the blue circle, which is the international symbol for diabetes, and an image of Paludo and his son on the truck's tonneau cover. In November of that year, Paludo ran a World Diabetes Day paint scheme at both Texas Motor Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway.

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Xfinity Series

Camping World Truck Series

K&N Pro Series East

ARCA Racing Series

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Season still in progress
Ineligible for series points

References

1. ^ "Biography". Miguel Paludo official site. Retrieved 2012-01-13.
2. "Brazil's Miguel Paludo Debut Set For Bristol". SPEED Channel. Fox Sports. August 17, 2010. Archived from the original on August 17, 2010. Retrieved 2012-01-13.
3. ^ Turner, Jared (August 23, 2011). "Paludo Progressing, Pumped For Bristol Return". SPEED Channel. Fox Sports. Archived from the original on February 2, 2013. Retrieved 2012-01-13.
4. ^ Pockrass, Bob (November 29, 2011). "Turner Motorsports adds Brazilians Nelson Piquet Jr., Miguel Paludo to 2012 truck lineup". SceneDaily.com. The Sporting News. Retrieved 2012-01-13.
5. "VIDEO: Miguel Paludo Unhurt After Massive Crash In Daytona Truck Race". 24 February 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
6. Pistone, Pete (May 31, 2012). "Miguel Paludo and Nelson Piquet Jr. join Turner Road America Nationwide plan". Eye on NASCAR. CBS Sports. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
7. "NASCAR Trucks driver Miguel Paludo returning to Turner Motorsports in 2013". 3 December 2012.
8. Ryan, Nate (October 19, 2013). "Justin Lofton taken to hospital after Truck crash at Talladega". USA Today. McLean, VA. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
9. Crandall, Kelly (January 31, 2014). "Paludo: 'It's Hard to Believe I'm Not Racing This Year'". PopularSpeed. Retrieved 2014-03-05.
10. ^ Nguyen, Justin (January 13, 2021). "Miguel Paludo joins JR Motorsports for 3 Xfinity road races, first NASCAR action since 2013". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
11. Silva, Fernando (December 27, 2011). "Stop & Go: Miguel Paludo". Grande Prêmio. iG Esporte. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
12. ^ "Miguel Paludo Partners With International Diabetes Federation". Turner Motorsports. May 30, 2012. Archived from the original on March 19, 2014. Retrieved 2012-06-11.
13. "Miguel Paludo – 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
14. "Miguel Paludo – 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
15. "Miguel Paludo – 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
16. "Miguel Paludo – 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
17. "Miguel Paludo – 2010 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
18. "Miguel Paludo – 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
19. "Miguel Paludo – 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
20. "Miguel Paludo – 2013 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
21. "Miguel Paludo – 2010 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
22. "Miguel Paludo – 2010 ARCA Racing Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
23. "Miguel Paludo – 2011 ARCA Racing Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 2, 2021.

External links

• Official website
• Miguel Paludo driver statistics at Racing-Reference

• Living people
• 1983 births
• Sportspeople from Rio Grande do Sul
• Brazilian racing drivers
• Brazilian NASCAR drivers
• NASCAR drivers
• People with type 1 diabetes
• ARCA Menards Series drivers
• JR Motorsports drivers
• People from Nova Prata
• Racing drivers with diabetes