Our Drivers

Miguel Paludo

Stats

Miguel Paludo got his first taste of racing behind the wheel of a go-kart at age 14. After running one full season and winning the regional championship in his home country of Brazil, Paludo and his brother, Daniel, entered a regional touring car series in 2004. Experiencing success right away, Paludo won the fourth race he competed in.

In 2006, Paludo took his talents to the national level racing Renault Clios, where he earned two podium finishes. In 2008, Paludo tried his hand at the Porsche GT3 Championship Series, competing in the full season. In those 16 events, he earned three wins, two poles and 11 top-three finishes. He took championship honors that year and repeated his performance the following year by winning back-to-back Porsche GT3 championships. Paludo simultaneously participated in theGT3 Series, running 12 of the 16 events and finishing third in the championship standings.

The 2010 season brought big changes for Paludo. He made the trek to North America to try out his talents at the NASCAR level. In January, he got his first experience behind the wheel of a stock car when he participated in a test for Red Horse Racing at New Smyrna Speedway in Florida. He then signed a deal to drive in the K&N Pro Series East for Hattori Racing Enterprises. He competed in nine of 10 races, earning his best finish of fourth at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Paludo made his Camping World Truck Series debut at Bristol Motor Speedway in August, 2010 for Germain Racing. He earned a ninth-place finish and impressed even the toughest critics. He made one additional start for the team at Kentucky Speedway and then joined Red Horse Racing at the end of the season. Piloting the No. 11 at Texas Motor Speedway, Paludo earned his best start by qualifying eighth. He also competed at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the season-finale where he matched his best finish of ninth place.

Riding the momentum of that finish, Paludo set some lofty goals for 2011. He was involved in one of the tightest Rookie of the Year battles in series history on his way to a 17th-place finish in the final point standings.  The Brazilian native captured three top-five and seven top-10 finishes, respectively.  He and his wife also welcomed a new addition to the family, having a little girl late in the summer.

This season starts a new chapter in Paludo’s storied racing career.  He will drive a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series entry for Turner Motorsports.  The 28-year-old driver has high expectations for the 2012 campaign, looking to score his first career NASCAR victory in addition to battling for the series title.