Miguel Paludo Joins Jr Motorsports for Select Races in 2021

JR Motorsports and long-time partner BRANDT Professional Agriculture jointly announced today that Miguel Paludo, a Brazilian native and six-time Porsche Carrera Cup Champion, will drive the No. 8 BRANDT Chevrolet in three NASCAR Xfinity Series road course events in 2021. Paludo’s schedule begins with the second race of the season at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course (Feb. 20) and continues at Circuit of the Americas (May 22) and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (June 5).

Paludo and BRANDT have been a winning combination since 2013, when Paludo first drove a BRANDT-branded vehicle in a NASCAR Camping World Truck series event at Chicagoland Speedway. From there, the pair has gone on to earn four championships, 16 wins and 53 podiums in Porsche Carrera Cup Brasil competition. Today’s announcement also expands BRANDT’s presence in the NXS as Paludo will race alongside teammate and full-time NXS driver Justin Allgaier, who will drive the No. 7 BRANDT Chevrolet. In five previous seasons with JRM, Allgaier and BRANDT have combined for 11 victories and have advanced to the Championship 4 four times.

“This is an amazing opportunity and it’s hard to put in words how grateful I am,” said Paludo. “Returning to compete in NASCAR has always been one of my top career goals. It has been remarkable to represent BRANDT Professional Agriculture in Brazil since 2015 competing and racing for championships in the Porsche Carrera Cup. And to now get the opportunity to race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series along with my teammate Justin Allgaier for BRANDT at JR Motorsports for three races is a dream that is coming true. I can’t wait to work with everyone on the No. 8 team and get ready for our first race on the road course at Daytona in a couple of weeks.”

BRANDT is one of the fastest-growing, family-owned companies in the United States and a leader in the global agriculture industry. Specializing in innovative products and services to help growers get the maximum return on their crops, BRANDT currently supplies customers in 48 states and more than 60 countries. The organization has also had a long, rich history in NASCAR, coming into the sport with Allgaier in 2011 prior to joining forces with JRM in 2016.

“We are thrilled to bring Miguel back to NASCAR racing as he has been instrumental in helping us grow our business in Brazil,” said Rick Brandt, president and CEO of BRANDT. “Overall, this initiative will enable us to entertain select Brazilian customers at some of NASCAR’s most iconic tracks where they’ll see one of their own take on the best in the world. This is going to be exciting.”

One of the main objectives for Paludo and the No. 8 BRANDT Chevrolet is to support the company’s burgeoning business in Brazil. In its sixth year of operation, BRANDT do Brasil has seen tremendous growth, serving retailers and growers across Brazil. With its headquarters in Londrina and manufacturing in Olimpia, BRANDT do Brasil offers a wide range of BRANDT’s proprietary technologies for crops as diverse as coffee, citrus, vegetables, sugar cane, soy and corn.

The initiative begins on the track, where Paludo has had plenty of NASCAR experience to call upon with 73 starts in the NCWTS, including three full-time seasons from 2011-2013, and a pair of NXS starts in 2012. All told, Paludo notched eight top fives and 25 top 10s in NCWTS competition, and twice finished inside the top 10 in the championship point standings.

Paludo will make his JRM debut in the No. 8 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 5 p.m. ET on FS1.

— Jr. Motorsports —