No. 32 SEM Products, Inc. Chevrolet
Martinsville Speedway – Kroger 250April 6, 2013
Paludo and the Paperclip…After a five-weekend hiatus, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) returns to action for a 250-lap battle at Martinsville Speedway. Miguel Paludo heads to the ‘paperclip’ with four previous starts at the Virginia track. Paludo has led five laps, has a best finish of 12th (spring of 2011), and has completed 100-percent of the 900 scheduled laps in the four races in which he competed.
Local Boy Makes Good…Martinsville Speedway is a home game for No. 32 crew chief Jeff Hensley. The Ridgeway, Virginia native, who still lives right near the historic short track, has an excellent record at the 0.526-mile paperclip. Hensley has two NCWTS wins as a crew chief in Martinsville: He and Mike Skinner swept the 2007 season by winning both the spring and fall events at the track. Hensley has tallied four top-five and eight top-10 finishes from atop the pit box in the Truck Series, with his drivers leading a total of 380 laps in Martinsville. Hensley also led his team to victory in one NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) event in Martinsville, with Chuck Bown taking the checkered flag in 1993 while running for Hensley’s family-owned team.
Looking Sporty…The No. 32 Chevrolet will be sporting a different look in Martinsville as SEM Products, Inc. comes on board as sponsor for the event. SEM Products, Inc. has been a partner of Turner Scott Motorsports for several seasons, providing adhesives, sealers and paint products to the organization’s NCWTS and NNS teams.
This Week’s Silverado…Paludo and the No. 32 SEM Products, Inc. team will utilize chassis TSM-227 this weekend at Martinsville Speedway. TSM-227 is a brand-new chassis, but it has already seen plenty of track time at Martinsville Speedway. Paludo drove this Chevrolet Silverado in a two-day test at the 0.526-mile oval last month, laying down the fastest laps of all drivers participating.
We’ve Got Answers…Come see Paludo and his Turner Scott Motorsports teammates participate in a Q&A session at the Team Chevy Stage on Friday, April 5 at 2:45 p.m. ET. The Team Chevy Stage is located in the souvenir trailer and display area outside turn four.
Watch and Listen…The Kroger 250 can be seen live on Saturday, April 6 on SPEED. Race coverage will begin at 1:30 p.m. ET, and the event can also be heard live on MRN Radio as well as SiriusXM Satellite Radio, channel 90.
Previous Race Recap…Miguel Paludo started off the 2013 season with a top-10 finish at Daytona International Speedway. After running in the top 10 in both practice sessions and qualifying eighth for the season opener, Paludo worked diligently with his teammates and skillfully utilized the draft throughout the 100-lap event, finishing seventh and earning his second career top 10 at the superspeedway.
Miguel Paludo on driving at Martinsville Speedway
“I feel very confident going into Martinsville after having the opportunity to test there a couple weeks ago. We were super fast both days, and we learned a lot about the balance and what changes we’ll make under different conditions during the race. It was great to have that much track time and to not have to rush like you would during practice. We had more time in two days than we have in all the practices for both the spring and fall races combined.”
“Martinsville is all about track position and managing your brakes. It’s a lot like a road course because you’re on the throttle 100-percent and then have to slow down so much to turn, so you brake really hard before getting back on the throttle again. The drive off is really important with a long straightaway, and Martinsville is just two long straightaways linked by tight turns. The goal is to get ourselves ahead with a good qualifying position and keep it up there the entire race.”
NCWTS results at Martinsville Speedway:
Starts: 4
Wins: 0
Poles: 0
Top 5: 0
Top 10: 0
Laps Led: 5
Average Start: 18.0
Average Finish: 15.0
