Miguel Paludo will return to JR Motorsports for three NASCAR Xfinity Series road course events in 2022. Paludo, a seven-time champion and current defending winner of the Porsche Carrera Cup, will drive the No. 88 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet in the NXS races at Circuit of the Americas (March 26), Road America (July 2) and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course (July 30).
A native of Nova Prata, Brazil, Paludo will compete for JRM in a BRANDT-branded entry in NXS competition for the second straight year. The No. 88 expands BRANDT’s on-track presence to a pair of Chevrolets in the three events. Paludo will race alongside teammate and full-time NXS driver Justin Allgaier, who drives the No. 7 BRANDT Chevrolet.
“We are back for 2022!” said Paludo during today’s announcement at the BRANDT do Brasil headquarters in Londrina, Brazil. “Last year proved to me that JRM has the best team in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and I can’t wait to get back to the track with this group, especially now that we will have the opportunity to practice and qualify this season. I am very excited to again represent BRANDT and Brazilian agriculture on three of America’s most exciting tracks.”
Additionally, next season will see the return of weekly practice sessions – which had been temporarily suspended in 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions – and of the fan-favorite No. 88 to the JRM stable for the first time since 2018. Paludo is set to join team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. behind the wheel of the No. 88 in 2022. Earnhardt Jr. is scheduled to drive at Martinsville Speedway (April 8).
“I can’t tell you how proud we are to have our brand on the iconic No. 88,” said Rick Brandt, CEO & President of BRANDT. “To race the same car number that Dale (Earnhardt) Jr. will drive—in front of our best customers and prospects from Brazil—is just humbling to say the least. I can’t wait to watch Miguel in the No. 88 and Justin (Allgaier) in the No. 7 battle it out and fight for wins in three events next year.”
Embarking on its seventh year of operation, BRANDT do Brasil has seen tremendous growth. 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 to retailers and growers across Brazil.
Paludo and BRANDT have found success at nearly every level, dating back to when Paludo first drove a BRANDT entry in a NASCAR Camping World Truck series event at Chicagoland Speedway in the fall of 2013. From there, the duo has gone on to earn five championships, 20 wins and 60 podiums in Porsche Carrera Cup Brasil competition.
Founded in Central Illinois, BRANDT is a fast-growing, family-owned company and a leader in global agriculture. Specializing in innovative products and services to help growers get maximum yield from their crops, BRANDT supplies customers in 49 states and more than 80 countries, including Brazil. The organization has also had a long, rich history in NASCAR, coming into the sport with Allgaier in 2011 before joining forces with JRM in 2016.
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