Truck Series Team News - Miguel Paludo Dover International Speedway Advance

TAMING THE MONSTER MILE: As a Rookie-of-the-Year contender in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2011, Miguel Paludo will be seeing the majority of the tracks on the schedule for the first time. However, Dover (Del.) International Speedway will not be one of them. Last season, in preparation for running the full Truck Series schedule, Paludo completed a partial schedule in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. The final track Paludo competed at was none other than the famous "Monster Mile." The Brazilian native started the race last September from the 27th position and moved his way up to the 14th spot for the finish.

RACING FOR A CURE: Any racer practices his craft for a purpose. To many it is simply the drive they have within them to compete and win. However, for Paludo it is a little bit more than that. When Paludo was 19 years of age he discovered that he had Type I diabetes. Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce insulin, which inhibits the body from converting sugar, starches and other food into energy. Only 5% of people with diabetes have this form of the disease. Paludo is not only racing to prove his talent and win a race in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and beyond, but he is racing to bring awareness to diabetes and show children of all ages that no matter what life throws your way, you too can be a champion.

ROOKIE ROUND UP: Following his 27th-place finish at Nashville Superspeedway. Paludo continues to occupy the second position in the rookie point standings behind leader Cole Whitt.

CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 7 team will unload chassis No. 110 this weekend at Dover International Speedway. Chassis No. 110 last competed earlier this season at Darlington (SC) Raceway with Paludo behind the wheel. The No. 7 team was caught up in an early on-track incident in Darlington finishing the event in the 27th position.

PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Three weeks ago at Nashville Superspeedway Paludo and the No. 7 team brought home a 27th-place finish following on on-track incident early in the race. Paludo was on his way to pit road for a scheduled pit stop under green-flag racing conditions when another competitor slowed in front of him on the track. Paludo slowed but another truck behind him was unable to get his truck stopped in time making contact with Paludo's left-rear fender. The damage required maintenance from the No. 7 team and resulted in Paludo going one lap down to the leaders. The No. 7 team continued to work on the damage throughout the evening and finished the race in the 27th position.

VISIT PIT: Red Horse Racing owners Tom DeLoach and Jeff Hammond also have a secondary company attached to the Truck Series team. PIT (Performance Instruction and Training) school is a state of the art pit stop training facility that is used by many of NASCAR's premier teams including the Red Horse Racing pit crew. The building is also open for tours, corporate team building events and other exciting opportunities. Visit VISTPIT.com today for more information. The organization will be holding its second annual open house on Wednesday May 25 from 6 to 9pm, EST.

How big of an advantage do you think it is having competed in a K&N Pro Series East car last season at Dover?

"I think it is a little bit of an advantage. The fact that I have made laps on the track before helps me to be more even with my other competitors."

Do you feel like you are gaining respect from your fellow competitors as the season wears on? Do you feel like you still have something to prove to them?

"I don't really think I have anything to prove really, but I do feel that I have been giving my fellow competitors respect and I believe I am receiving that in return. We have proven that we are a competitive team. We just have not had the results that we would have liked."

Many fans have asked what your future goals and aspirations are. What do you hope to accomplish this year while competing full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series?

"My number one goal is to win a race this season. If I can achieve that I will feel like it has been a successful year. From here on I'm not sure where my career will take me but I would obviously like to be at the Cup level one day."