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[/media-credit]Miguel Paludo
No. 32 Duroline Brakes and Components Chevrolet
Charlotte Motor Speedway – N.C. Education Lottery 200 – May 18, 2012
Miguel Paludo brought home a hard-fought top-15 in a caution-filled race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, gaining one position in the driver point standings. Paludo surged as high as third and avoided multiple on-track incidents, but tight handling ultimately resulted in a 14th-place finish for the No. 32 Duroline Brakes and Components Chevrolet.
Paludo took the green flag from the 12th position, advancing one spot before the first of eight caution flags waved on lap four for a two-truck incident. Paludo relayed to crew chief Mike Hillman Jr. that the handling on his truck was initially balanced, but it quickly became tight in traffic and he slipped to 15th by the time a second caution came out on lap 13 for a blown engine.
Paludo restarted in the 13th position on lap 18 after a handful of competitors pitted for fuel, but he struggled with the tightness of his truck in the bottom groove. Scored in the 17th spot when the yellow flag waved once again on lap 25, Paludo relayed that the No. 32 Duroline machine was pushing up the racetrack, causing him to lose momentum.
Hillman Jr. told his driver that he would free up his truck, calling him into the pits for four tires, fuel and a spring-rubber adjustment. Paludo was scored in the 23rd position when racing resumed on lap 31, but after a good restart and fresh tires, the No. 32 shot to the 15th spot by lap 37. Paludo advanced into the top 10 by lap 63, but expressed that he was once again getting tight and the truck was shoving up the track.
Green-flag pit stops began to cycle through at the race’s halfway point, but Paludo remained on the track, inching closer to the front of the pack and taking over the third position. Timing played into the team’s favor as the yellow flag waved. As one of the only teams that had not yet pitted, the No. 32 had the opportunity to pit under caution and maintain track position. Paludo took four tires and fuel, emerging from pit road in sixth on lap 76.
The field made less than 10 laps before a spin unfolded right in front of Paludo’s nose, sweeping up multiple trucks. Paludo avoided involvement and came down pit road to top off on fuel, taking the green in 11th on lap 91. The truck was handling well on the top of the track, allowing Paludo to inch his way up to seventh by lap 100. However, once again the truck began to push, and Paludo had dropped to the 12th position when the race went yellow for the eighth and final time. Paludo lost two more positions in the wild racing of the final laps, ultimately crossing the finish line in 14th. Paludo moves up one spot in the driver standings, now 12th in points and 64 points behind new leader Justin Lofton.
Miguel Paludo: “This wasn’t the finish we were hoping for, but every weekend we just keep making progress. The guys worked really hard and improved the truck a lot over the course of the night. We just pushed so much when we ran on the inside. Despite the finish, I know that we have all the right pieces and are doing the right things, eventually it’s going to result in a win for this team.”
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to action on June 1st for the Lucas Oil 200 at Dover International Speedway.
Practice 1
Position: 20th
Laps: 18
Fastest Lap: 30.514
Final Practice
Position: 12th
Laps: 29
Fastest Lap: 30.313
Qualifying
Position: 12th
Fastest Lap: 30.132
Race
Position: 14th
Laps Completed/Total Laps: 134/134
