| Patrick Sheltra Ready For Toledo Challenge
“Sheltra Motorsports Hoping For First Top-Five
Finish Of ’08 Sunday”
TOLEDO, Ohio (May 13, 2008) – After a strong seventh
place finish last Saturday night at Kentucky Speedway, sophomore
ARCA RE/MAX Series (ARS) driver Patrick Sheltra and his
Sheltra Motorsports team invade Toledo Speedway back in
contention and ready to take their first victory together
in Sunday’s Hantz Group 200 by Federated Car Care.
The 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series season has been a positive
one for the Whitesville, Kentucky based Sheltra Motorsports
team. Despite a rough finish at Rockingham Speedway earlier
this month, the second-year ARCA team has maneuvered strong
finishes and positioned themselves as serious championship
contenders as the series strolls towards the seventh race
of the 2008 season.
For Sheltra, he’s anxious for a return to Toledo
Speedway after an exceptional run in last year’s season
finale awarded the Indiantown, Florida native with one of
his five top-10 finishes in his inaugural ARCA campaign.
“I wasn’t sure if I really liked Toledo Speedway
after the first race last year but after our performance
last October, Toledo is a track that I’m excited to
return to,” said Sheltra, who will celebrate his 22nd
birthday on Wednesday, May 14. “Toledo is a fun racetrack
but definitely challenges your patience. We are planning
to beat our performance from last year Sunday.”
After ironically qualifying 21st for both ARCA RE/MAX Series
events at the legendary half-mile oval last season, Sheltra
is first to point out that his qualifying efforts have improved
this season and he’s hoping the trend will continue
this weekend.
“Qualifying is so crucial, especially at a track
like Toledo Speedway,” offered Sheltra. “Last
year, I wasn’t that great of a qualifier. This year,
we’ve qualified exceptionally well. We started in
the top-10 at Kentucky Speedway last weekend and I would
like to make it two top-10 qualifying runs in a row this
weekend.”
Crew Chief John Hayden has elected to bring the same Chevrolet
Monte Carlo SS that the team utilized in the season finale
last year at Toledo Speedway. It is also the piece that
the team participated with at Iowa Speedway last month which
awarded the Sheltra Motorsports operation their first top-10
finish of the season in the former Richard Childress Racing
machine.
With two straight Toledo top-10s in the books, Sheltra
is eager to make it three-for-three in his third trip to
the Toledo, Ohio race track.
“We are bringing one of my favorite cars to the race
track this weekend,” sounded Sheltra. “Every
time we’ve run this car; we’ve been good. I
don’t expect anything but the same this weekend at
Toledo. We were in contention for a top-five finish here
last year before we got taken out. Luckily we were able
to come back with a top-10 finish. This year though, we
want to be in the top-five and in contention for the win
and we’re going to do everything we can to make that
a reality.”
Despite losing a spot in the ARCA RE/MAX Series championship
standings last weekend at Kentucky Speedway, Sheltra knows
that he is an extremely tight point’s battle and with
a good run this weekend, Sheltra can find himself back in
the top-five.
“I can’t believe how close the point standings
are this year,” Sheltra explained. “The run
at Rockingham has put us behind but we did what we needed
to do last weekend at Kentucky to catch-up. We need to continue
our streak of solid performances in Toledo so we can end
our six week stretch on a wave of momentum and in prime
position in the standings.”
While Toledo is an important weekend for the team on the
track, it will also be as equally as important off the track.
Sheltra will show heavy participating in the fourth annual
ARCA Fan Fest beginning with an appearance on Thursday,
May 15 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. local in Findlay, Ohio at South
Side Restaurant for Racing World then sign autographs during
a luncheon on Saturday, May 17 supporting the Big Brothers
Big Sisters of Northwest Ohio, the official charity of the
Fan Fest. The luncheon will be sponsored by the Patrick
Sheltra Foundation.
“I am very excited about being apart of the fourth
annual ARCA Fan Fest,” said Sheltra. “It’s
a good week of appearances and to have the chance to work
with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Ohio is an
honor. It should be an enjoyable weekend for all.”
In an effort to bring further awareness and contributions
to the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Ohio, the Sheltra
Motorsports team will donate a dollar for every lap complete
in the Hantz Group 200, and are challenging other ARCA RE/MAX
Series race teams to do the same.
Sheltra added, “The challenge that we have proposed
to the ARCA RE/MAX Series team is an easy one. It’s
affordable and going towards a great cause. The ARCA RE/MAX
Series is a great family sport and it’s important
for us to reach out to others in need. We hope that all
the team’s entered for Sunday’s race will accept
the challenge.”
Entering Toledo, Sheltra has 31 ARCA RE/MAX Series starts
to his credit with a career best finish of third on the
dirt at Illinois State Fairgrounds (August 2007) with an
additional top-five finish (fourth) at Berlin Raceway (July
2007) while holding additional top-10s at Kentucky Speedway
(May 2008), Kansas Speedway (April 2008), Iowa Speedway
(April 2008), Kentucky Speedway (June 2007), DuQuoin State
Fairgrounds (September 2007) and Toledo Speedway (October
2007). An eighth place qualifying effort at Kansas Speedway
(April 2008) is Sheltra’s best time trials efforts
to date. He has controlled the ARCA field once for four
laps.
The Hantz Group 200 by Federated Car Care (100 miles/200
laps) is the seventh of 21 events on the 2008 ARCA RE/MAX
Series schedule. The first of two events held at Toledo
Speedway this season is a two-day show. Practice begins
Saturday, May 17 with an hour and half practice session
planned from 12:30 p.m.-2:00 p.m. ARCA SIM Factory pole
qualifying is slated to begin at 3:30 p.m. The field will
take the green flag on Sunday, May 18 shortly after 2:00
p.m. The race will tape-delayed on MavTV with the first
showing scheduled for May 23rd at 8:00 p.m. EST. Additional
race coverage including live timing and scoring will be
available online at arcaracing.com. All times are local.
For more on Patrick Sheltra, please visit the newly re-launched
PatrickSheltra.com.
About Sheltra Motorsports:
Sheltra Motorsports (sheltramotorsports.com)
is a three-tier Motorsports operation consisting of dirt
and asphalt competition. Patrick Sheltra, a 21-year old
native of Indiantown, Florida competes in the UMP and WoO
(Dirt) Series; while also running a full schedule in the
ARCA RE/MAX Series (No. 60) and a limited schedule in the
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (No. 35). 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 Whitesville, Kentucky.
Patrick Sheltra, Sheltra Motorsports, Toledo Speedway
Notes of Interest:
· Sheltra Motorsports will run a mixture
of Chevrolet Monte Carlos and Dodge Chargers during the
2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series season. For Toledo, Sheltra Motorsports
will run a Chevrolet Monte Carlo that has competed twice
on the ARCA circuit. During it’s tenure in the ARCA
RE/MAX Series the former Richard Childress Racing machine
has amassed two top-10 finishes at Toledo Speedway (2007)
and Iowa Speedway respectively. A Sheltra Motorsports engine
built by Clements Automotive will provide the horsepower
for the sophomore ARCA team.
· Sheltra currently maintains a point’s position
in the top-10 (eighth) heading into Toledo Speedway this
weekend. Sheltra moved into the top-10 in the series’
second race of the season at Salem Speedway and has remained
locked in the top-10 since. The Indiantown, Florida native
is just 80 markers from entering the top-five and 150 credits
from the number one position held by SunTrust Rookie-of-the-Year
candidate Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Last year, the 21-year old
superstar finished seventh in the championship standings
competing in 22 of the scheduled 23 events.
· Sheltra will make 800 left hand turns on Sunday
afternoon, four hundred (400) more turns than last Saturday
night at the 1.5-mile track of Kentucky Speedway.
· In addition to running a full 2008 ARCA RE/MAX
Series schedule, Sheltra will also run a limited schedule
in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (No. 35) and compete
in selected dirt late model events (UMP and WoO Series)
throughout the United States.
Sheltra Motorsports Quick
Facts:
Team Name: Sheltra Motorsports, No. 60 Chevrolet
Monte Carlo SS
Driver: Patrick Sheltra, Indiantown, Florida
Car Owner: Grace Sheltra, Indiantown, Florida
Crew Chief: John Hayden
Team Manager: Keith Strunk
Marketing Partners: Ferguson Pipe Enterprises,
Inc, FloraGanics, American Concrete Industries, Inc, Hardie
Pipe, The Casite Company, J&S Bulk Transportation, Inc.,
US Construction Supply Corp., Martin County Petroleum, Sheltra
& Son Construction, Sheltra Cattle Company, Recycling
Services, Aaron’s Outdoors, Indiantown Marina, All
About Flowers, Speed Media, Klotz Synthetic Lubricants,
DMC Graphics and Purcell Tire & Rubber.
TEAM COMMUNICATIONS CONTACT:
NAME: Chris Knight, Sheltra Motorsports
PHONE: 239.834.9797 or 830.261.1215
EMAIL: knight849@aol.com
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