Patrick Sheltra; Buffalo Wings & Rings Accelerates Momentum To Talladega

TALLADEGA, Alabama (April 21, 2010) - - Fresh off his fourth consecutive top-10 finish in just as many starts in the ARCA Racing Series (ARS) presented by RE/MAX and Menards driver Patrick Sheltra is looking to accelerate his momentum with a win in Friday’s Talladega ARCA 250 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

Sheltra, an Indiantown, Florida native has been named as a pre-race favorite for the fifth race of the season and for good reason. In the season opener in February, Sheltra mastered a stout fifth place finish at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. Despite not walking away with a win, Sheltra reels in the success he conquered at Daytona and feels that he can improve at Talladega with his second career victory in his 72nd career ARCA start.

“The name Talladega says it all,” says Sheltra, who currently sits third in the championship standings, just 70 points from the lead. “For the past couple years, we have shown that Sheltra Motorsports has a successful superspeedway program and we look to continue that presence on Friday.”

Armed with the same No. 60 Buffalo Wings & Rings Dodge Charger that the 23-year old competed with at Daytona, Sheltra knows that a car good is one of the keys to superspeedway dominance.

“This has been a good car for us,” sounded Sheltra. “We raced it here at Talladega last year before we had motor issues. We picked up the pieces and went to Daytona this year and were extremely fast. We feel that we’re going to be in the same position if not a little better than we were in Daytona when the race rolls around. I’m just pumped.”

He added, “Jon (Wolfe, crew chief) and the boys have been working extremely hard since the Talladega test last month to make this car even better than it was in Daytona, so their enthusiasm has me looking forward to hopefully leading the pack on Friday.”

Stepping up their associate marketing partnership role from last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, Cincinnati, Ohio based Buffalo Wings & Rings (BWR) will return as the primary marketing partner for Sheltra’s fourth career ARCA start at the 2.66-mile superspeedway.

Known for its “Great Food; No Bull!” campaign, Buffalo Wings & Rings (BWR) is the fastest-growing privately owned franchised chain of restaurants in the nation serving Buffalo-style chicken wings, onion rings, burgers, gyros, wraps and salads. And the only wing establishment in the country with a unique saucing system, customers of BWR get to choose from 45 different sauce combinations. Founded in 1984 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Buffalo Wings & Rings operates 56 franchised restaurants in the United States. Buffalo Wings & Rings was ranked the No. 1 fastest growing restaurant chain nationwide in the July 2008 issue of Restaurant Business, and ranked in the top 500 franchises in the January 2009 issue of Entrepreneur.

“Our goal is to take Buffalo Wings & Rings to victory lane on Friday at Talladega,” said Sheltra, whose best finish at Talladega is a fifth in 2008. “It’s one of their favorite tracks. BWR and their customers love the intensity, the close racing and the excitement the ARCA Racing Series brings to the track. I don’t plan to disappoint them.”

In addition to the ARCA Racing Series event on Friday, Sheltra will also make his fifth career NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) debut on Saturday (April 24) behind the wheel of the No. 09 Ford Fusion for RAB Racing and former ARCA car owner and driver Robby Benton. Sheltra has never competed in a NASCAR sanctioned event at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

“I’ve always had the utmost respect for Robby Benton and his organization in the NASCAR Nationwide Series,” sounded Sheltra. “I’m honored and humbled at the opportunity to drive for the team at Talladega. Our expectations are high, but there is no doubt that with a little luck we can accomplish our mission.”

Entering Talladega, Sheltra has 71 ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards starts to his credit with one career victory at Salem Speedway (April 2009). During his ARCA tenure, Sheltra has accumulated 12 top-fives and posted 26 top-10 finishes. A third place qualifying effort at Rockingham Speedway (April 2009) is Sheltra’s best time trials efforts to date. He has controlled the ARCA field six times for 148 laps.

The Talladega ARCA 250 (94 laps / 250 miles) is the fifth of 20 events on the 2010 ARCA Racing Series schedule. The 48th ever ARCA race at Talladega Superspeedway is a two-day show. Practice begins Thursday, April 22 with a three hour practice session planned from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell is set for later in the day slated to begin at 5:05 p.m. A 45-minute final practice has been etched in on Friday, April 23 from 9:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. The event will take the green flag that afternoon shortly after 4:00 p.m. The race will be televised live on SPEED with additional live broadcasting available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com. All times are local.

For the latest on Patrick Sheltra, Sheltra Motorsports and marketing partnership opportunities please visit PatrickSheltra.com.

For additional input on Buffalo Wings & Rings, please connect to Buffalowingsandrings.com or call 513.831.WING.

Join the official Patrick Sheltra fan page on Facebook by clicking here.

About Sheltra Motorsports:
Sheltra Motorsports (sheltramotorsports.com) is a three-tier Motorsports operation consisting of dirt and asphalt competition. Patrick Sheltra, a 23-year old native of Indiantown, Florida competes in the UMP and WoO (Dirt) Series; while also running a full schedule in the ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards (No. 60) and a limited schedule in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Sheltra Motorsports ownership is combined of Richard, Grace and Patrick Sheltra. The team is headquartered in Indiantown, Florida with additional operations in Richmond, Indiana and Mooresville, North Carolina.

About Buffalo Wings & Rings:
Buffalo Wings & Rings is the fastest-growing privately owned franchised chain of restaurants in the nation serving Buffalo-style chicken wings, onion rings, burgers, gyros, wraps and salads. Founded in 1984 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Buffalo Wings & Rings operates franchised restaurants throughout the United States. Buffalo Wings & Rings was ranked the No. 1 fastest growing restaurant chain nationwide in the July 2008 issue of Restaurant Business, and ranked in the top 500 franchises in the January 2009 issue of Entrepreneur. For more information, visit buffalowingsandrings.com or call 513-831-WING.

TEAM COMMUNICATIONS CONTACT:
Chris Knight, Sheltra Motorsports
P: 239.834.9797
E: chris@patricksheltra.com