Miguel Paludo Brings Home Top-10 Finish at Daytona

JR Motorsports | 2/20/2021

American Heart Association Bass Pro Shops Black Rifle Coffee Brandt Daytona Road Course Justin Allgaier Michael Annett Miguel Paludo News Noah Gragson Pilot Flying J Race Report TrueTimber XFINITY Series

The Brazilian native scored a seventh-place finish in his debut with JRM. Michael Annett was the next highest JRM car finishing in 15th place, meanwhile, Justin Allgaier and Noah Gragson were involved in a last-lap wreck.

Race Results | Xfinity Series Points

 

Race 2 of 33: Super Start Batteries 188 at Daytona International Speedway Road Course

Track Specs: 3.61-mile road course / 52 laps 

Weather: Clear; 54 degrees

Race Winner: Ty Gibbs

 

Paludo's Finish: 7th

Annett's Finish: 15th 

Allgaier's Finish: 26th 

Gragson's Finish: 28th 

 


Miguel Paludo

Making his first NASCAR national series start since the conclusion of the 2013 season, Miguel Paludo, driver of the No. 8 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet, overcame a flat left-front tire during the second stage to score a hard-fought seventh-place finish in the NASCAR Xfinity Series event at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course on Saturday evening. Paludo improved 25 positions over the course of the final stage to earn the first top-10 finish of his NXS career in only his third start in the series.

Stage One Finish: 19th

Paludo lined up for the 52-lap event around the famed road course in the 35th position after the field was set via the 2021 NXS Owner Points. Once underway the Nova Prata, Brazil native wasted little time moving forward, racing up to the 24th position by the time the first caution flag of the day was displayed on lap 3. The driver of the BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet continued his climb forward following the lap-6 restart, needing just four laps to move up to 18th before the field was slowed by a lap-10 caution. While under this caution, crew chief Taylor Moyer made the strategy call to bring Paludo to pit road for four fresh tires, setting the JR Motorsports driver up with the possibility of staying out on the track following the conclusion of Stage One.

Rejoining the pack following the stop in 22nd, Paludo methodically gained three positions over the final two laps of the opening stage to take the green-and-white checkered flag on lap 15 in the 19th position.

Stage Two Finish: 33rd 

With Stage One in the books, Moyer made the call for Paludo to remain on the track while the race leaders came to pit road. As a result, the six-time Porsche Carrera Cup Champion took the green flag for the start of Stage Two in the seventh position on lap 18. The driver of the BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet continued to fight for position inside the top 10 until a flat left-front tire on lap 25 forced Paludo to make an unscheduled pit stop under green.

As a result of the stop, Paludo returned to the track in the 33rd position but found himself trapped one lap behind the leaders as the caution-free second stage came to a close on lap 30.

Final Stage:

Although off of the lead lap, Paludo opted to remain on the track following the completion of Stage Two, moving him into position to take the wave-around prior to the beginning of the third and final stage. Now back on the lead lap, Paludo marched forward, improving 16 positions to race back into the top 20 before a lap-37 caution period provided Moyer another opportunity to bring the BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet to pit road.

Returning to the track following the four-tire stop in 26th, Paludo again ascended up the leaderboard, charging back into the top 15 and up to the 10th position before a caution with just two laps remaining shuffled up the running order. With 10 cars choosing to remain on the track during the caution, Moyer made the call to bring Paludo back to pit road for one last set of fresh tires.

Lining up for the first attempt at a green-white-checkered finish in 16th, Paludo was able to narrowly avoid a multi-car incident in the third corner to move up to 13th before the final caution flag was displayed on lap 52. Remaining in 13th for the ensuing restart on lap 54, the driver of the BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet took advantage of the final two laps to improve six positions and take the checkered flag in seventh.

The top-10 result comes in Paludo’s first start in the NXS since 2012 and marks the first of his career in only his third start in the series.

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

“I can’t say thank you enough to BRANDT Professional Agriculture and to everyone at JR Motorsports. We overcame a lot of obstacles throughout the night tonight and to be able to come home with a top-10 finish is just great. I also want to give a thank you to Taylor (Moyer, crew chief) and all of the guys on this No. 8 team. They gave me a great car today and I’m really happy we were able to come home with a strong finish.”


 

Michael Annett

At the end of 56 laps on Saturday on the 3.61-mile road course at Daytona International Speedway, Michael Annett persevered for a 15th-place finish in the Super Start Batteries 188 for NASCAR Xfinity Series machines. Annett drove the Pilot Flying J/American Heart Association Chevrolet from 33rd at the start, overcoming several issues along the way.

Stage One Finish: 21st    

After starting 33rd based on last week’s finish on the oval at Daytona, Annett spent the first few laps sorting out the handle on the No. 1 Chevrolet. Once the green flag waved, Annett moved up three positions by the time the first lap was complete, and he was still there three laps later when the first caution of the day came out. Under caution, Annett told crew chief Mike Bumgarner that his car was twitchy on the oval portion of the 3.61-mile course, and that he couldn’t carry speed into the corners the way he needed. With more than 10 laps remaining to the end of the 15-lap Stage One, Bumgarner decided to leave Annett out during the caution and bide his time. It wasn’t long before another caution flag waved on lap 12, and Bumgarner called Annett to pit road for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment to fix the twitchiness on the oval sections. With just two laps remaining in the stage at the green flag, Annett gained seven positions over that span to finish Stage One in 21st position. Having stopped earlier, Annett stayed on track during the Stage One break.

Stage Two Finish: 21st    

By virtue of when he pitted, Annett rolled off from ninth position at the beginning of Stage Two, but another problem cropped up in the first couple of laps. Annett radioed to Bumgarner that he was having trouble with the upshift in the corners, and it was affecting his ability to both get in and out of gear. By lap 21, Annett had dropped to 18th position, and four laps later was scored in 22nd spot. The problem stabilized at that point, and Annett was able to pick off one spot to finish Stage Two in 21st position. Back on pit road, Bumgarner gave his driver four fresh tires, fuel and made chassis adjustments at both ends of the car. The Pilot Flying J/American Heart Association pit crew gained two positions in the order and Annett went back out in 19th for the start of the final stage.

Final Stage:

Annett took the green flag in 19th place and maintained that position over the first five laps of the run before another caution flag waved at lap 39. After some discussion, Bumgarner decided to keep Annett on the track and wait for another opportunity to make adjustments. Several other teams did not, and Annett advanced to 14th in the order for the restart at lap 41. The second lap after the restart, the Iowa native missed the turn-in to the backstretch chicane, forcing him to come to a stop before proceeding. That dropped him to 25th in the order, and Annett told Bumgarner that his tires were wearing out.

On lap 51, one lap before the scheduled distance, the caution flag waved again and Bumgarner was able to get his driver to pit road for some relief with four tires and a splash of fuel to the end. It also pushed the event into overtime. As the race restarted, Annett took the green flag in 27th position, but was able to gain ground when the field jammed up in Turn 1 and all the way to Turn 3 before the caution waved again for multiple cars off the track. Annett restarted from 20th position on the next attempt and barely missed a wild sequence which saw several cars spin and go off the track. By the time the field was squared away for what turned out to be the final restart, Annett was 17th, and he gained two spots over the final distance to earn a 15th-place finish. That helped ease the pain from being crashed out of the season opener on the oval at Daytona the week before in terms of points. The top-15 result saw Annett rise seven positions to 27th in the series points after two races.

Ty Gibbs won the race over Austin Cindric, Daniel Hemric, Brandon Jones and Jeb Burton.

Michael Annett, driver No. 1 Pilot Flying J/American Heart Association Chevrolet team

“That was hard work tonight. I have to do a couple of things better, and we’ll sit down and talk about it at the shop and get some things worked out. Proud of my team and the way they kept fighting all night long. We stopped a little bit of the bleeding as far as points go, and we’ll get better next week.”


 

Justin Allgaier

Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet, was on his way to a solid top-10 finish in Saturday evening’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race on the road course at Daytona International Speedway when his Camaro was turned following a chaotic restart in overtime. The BRANDT Chevy sustained damage, but Allgaier was able to continue on to ultimately finish the race in the 26th position after earning valuable points in Stages One and Two. 

Stage One Finish: 10th

Rolling off the grid in the 25th position, Allgaier wasted little time advancing his position once the green flag waved. He was up to 13th when the first caution flag came out on lap 4 and relayed to crew chief Jason Burdett that he needed more forward drive and front turn. Restarting 13th on lap 6, Allgaier continued his climb forward and was about to enter the top 10 when another yellow flag waved on lap 11.

Under the caution, the team called Allgaier in for four tires, fuel and adjustments to improve the BRANDT Chevy’s drive. Lining up 15th for the ensuing restart, Allgaier made the most of the few laps left in the first stage, taking the green-and-white checkered flag in 10th on lap 15.

Stage Two Finish: 5th

Staying out during the stage-break, Allgaier took the green flag for the second stage from the second position and continued to battle inside the top five for several laps. As the run went on, Allgaier relayed to the No. 7 team that his BRANDT Chevy was still needing more forward drive and front turn. He dropped back to sixth, but fought through the tough handling condition to advance his position to fifth by the end of Stage Two on lap 30. Under the stage-ending caution, Burdett called Allgaier to pit road for a fresh set of tires, fuel and a trackbar adjustment.

Final Stage:

Firing off from the fourth position for the final stage on lap 34, Allgaier lost some spots initially but began working his way back forward. He was up to sixth when the caution flag waved on lap 38 and the team opted to stay out on the track. Restarting from the same spot, Allgaier again lost some ground after a car ahead of him spun his tires. The JR Motorsports driver was running in the seventh position when a caution came out with three laps to go and this time the team decided to come to pit road for the final time of the night for tires and fuel.

Allgaier lined up 15th for the first attempt at NASCAR’s version of overtime and maneuvered his way through a chaotic restart to advance his position to eighth before the caution came out once again prior to the leader taking the white flag. The field lined up one more time for a green-white-checkered finish and this restart proved to be just a hectic as the last. Unfortunately, Allgaier’s Chevrolet did not go unscathed this time as he was turned by another car, triggering a multi-car incident. NASCAR did not throw a caution for the incident, but Allgaier was still able to continue on with his damaged BRANDT Camaro to earn a 26th-place finish.

Justin Allgaier, driver No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet

“I am really bummed with how our race ended tonight. The guys did such a great job preparing this BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevy and we were putting together a strong run. This race was a special one for BRANDT with having two cars on the track tonight. We wanted to get two strong finishes for them, but it just didn’t work out for our No. 7 team. I’m so pumped for my teammate Miguel (Paludo) though. He did a fantastic job tonight.”


 

Noah Gragson

Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 9 Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee Camaro, fought through adversity from the drop of the green to the waving of the checkered on Saturday night in the NASCAR Xfinity Series event at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course. Gragson rallied back from three laps down to racing within the top 10 heading into NASCAR’s version of overtime, before being involved in a multi-car incident just two laps shy of the finish, relegating the JR Motorsports driver to a 28th-place finish.

Stage One Finish: 39th

Gragson was scheduled to fire off from the 26th starting position, but could not get the Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee Camaro to start while the cars sat on the grid, forcing the 22-year-old to his pit stall to diagnose the issue. Solving the problem, Gragson entered the racing surface two laps down, but could not hold off the leader, Austin Cindric, who got by to knock him to three laps behind the pack before the first caution of the event waved on lap 3. Gragson remained three laps down on the ensuing restart, as he was not the first car scored off of the lead lap. One more caution waved on lap 11 as Gragson ran 39th, but he would again not receive the lucky dog, forcing him to remain three laps behind the leaders, ultimately finishing Stage One in the 39th position.

Stage Two Finish: 34th

Receiving the lucky dog award for being the first car not on the lead lap following Stage One, Gragson was able to come to pit road for four tires and fuel prior to the start Stage Two. Restarting from the rear of the field, Gragson was able to drive his Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee Camaro to 37th-place in just one lap. With Stage Two going caution-free, Gragson remained trapped two laps down, but worked his way to the 34th position by the conclusion of the second stage.

Final Stage:

Crew chief Dave Elenz ordered Gragson remain on track and not pit during the stage-ending caution, giving the JRM driver the wave around to put him only one lap behind the leaders. Once back underway, Gragson brought the No. 9 Chevy to pit road for four tires and fuel during a scheduled stop. The field slowed once again on lap 37 as Gragson ran in the 34th position, but would not receive the lucky dog as he was the second car scored one lap down. Restarting in 34th, Gragson gained one position during an eight-lap run before the caution flag was displayed for debris on the backstretch. Gragson and the No. 9 were the first car one lap down and received the lucky dog award, putting Gragson on the lead lap for the first time all race.

Once back on the lead lap, the No. 9 Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee Camaro entered the pits in order to take four tires and fuel, but restarted at the back per NASCAR’s rule for lucky dog recipients. Once underway, Gragson went from the 30th running position to 13th in just three turns before another yellow slowed the field. Entering NASCAR’s version of overtime, Gragson restarted from 13th and would battle inside the top 10, nearly the top five, before a multi-car incident sent the No. 9 spinning through the infield. Regaining control, Gragson drove to the checkered flag on lap 56 in the 28th position.

Noah Gragson, driver No. 9 Bass Pro Shops, TrueTimber, Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet

“I’m not really sure what to say. We started the race three laps down and were battling with the top six cars there at the end before being struck by more bad luck. We had a fast Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee Camaro and that showed as we battled through adversity and never gave up. We will regroup this week and head to my favorite track, Homestead, to try to put it on them.”

Articles

image

XFINITY Series Schedule

  • March 30 01:30 PM ET
    ToyotaCare 250Richmond Raceway
  • April 6 07:30 PM ET
    NXS Spring Race at MartinsvilleMartinsville Speedway
  • April 13 01:30 PM ET
    Andy’s Frozen Custard 300Texas Motor Speedway
  • April 20 04:00 PM ET
    Ag-Pro 300Talladega Superspeedway
  • April 27 01:30 PM ET
    A-GAME 200Dover International Speedway

XFINITY Series Standings

After Dead On Tools 250

Martinsville Speedway | 10/28/2023
Results are not available.