Miguel Paludo and the No. 7 team came to Kansas Speedway with one goal: Finish. Mission accomplished, the team put in their third best run of the season, leading a lap and coming home in the 13th position.
“I’m very happy with the way we ran today,” said Paludo after the race. “My guys worked really hard. We had a good truck and I was happy that we were able to run at the front of the field all day. I wish we could have gotten a top-10 finish, but the No. 7 Stemco/Duroline Toyota Tundra just became too tight at the end.”
Paludo started the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 from the 15th starting position. Under the first caution of the day on lap 18, Paludo brought the No. 7 machine down pit road for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment, placing the No. 7 team off pit sequence with the leaders. Paludo took the restart on lap 20 scored in the 16th position.
After the first caution period a long green-flag run ensued. At lap 48 each of the leaders began to come to pit road under green, slowly moving Paludo up the running order. On lap 62, Paludo took the lead just as the caution waved for the second time. The team chose to come down pit road for four tires and fuel. Once the pit stop was completed Paludo tried to leave his pit box but got blocked into the stall costing him valuable seconds as the team had to back the truck up in order to send Paludo on his way back on track. Paludo restarted from the 11th position on lap 66. One lap later the field was slowed again for the third caution of the day. On the restart, Paludo continued to work his way back to the front of the field quickly taking over the ninth position. The caution waved for the fourth time on lap 74 with Paludo scored in fifth. Paludo continued to run in the top-10 throughout the afternoon at Kansas Speedway.
Under the sixth caution period on lap 112, crew chief Rick Gay called Paludo to pit road for the final stop of the race taking on four tires and fuel and making a slight chassis adjustment. The No. 7 restarted from the 18th position, but in only a few short laps Paludo worked his way back into the top 10, battling the leaders for position. As the race came to a close the No. 7 truck’s tires began to fall off and created a tight-handling condition. Paludo did the best he could to hold on to the end, but many of the trucks chasing him had fresher tires. The No. 7 team came home in the 13th position.
Red Horse Racing PR
