| ARCA RE/MAX Series, Michigan ARCA 200
Michigan International Speedway
Brooklyn, Michigan
Open Practice (Test) Notes & Quotes
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Under brisk but crystal clear blue skies over a dozen ARCA
RE/MAX Series (ARS) teams participated in the fifth open
test session of the 2008 season preparing their automobiles
for the ninth event on the 2008 ARS calendar, the Michigan
ARCA 200 set to commence on Friday, June 13th shortly after
5:00 p.m. EST live on SPEED.
The series returns to the facility for the 27th time since
1980 with ARCA driver Patrick Sheltra poised to make his
third career start at the two-mile oval.
Last year, Sheltra aboard his familiar No. 60 Chevrolet
entry, qualified 24th but showed maturity and patience by
guiding his Grace Sheltra owned machine to the 14th position,
one of 20 machines on the lead circuit (100 laps complete).
In 2006, Sheltra driving for veteran NASCAR driver Ken Schrader
Sheltra finished 33rd after experience in an engine failure
in the Hantz Group 200.
Unlike the previous two seasons, Sheltra will not bring
a Chevrolet for race competition. Instead, Sheltra and his
Whitesville, Kentucky based Sheltra Motorsports team will
bring a Dodge Charger with their signature Camouflage paint
scheme. Prior to Tuesday’s test, the team has run
a Dodge Charger in two of the seven ARCA RE/MAX Series events
this season awarding the team with two straight top-10 finishes
at Kansas Speedway and Kentucky Speedway respectively.
Teams took to the track shortly after 9:00am local time
with the complete day of testing scheduled to end at 5:00pm
local time.
Here are some notes and quotes from today’s session:
PATRICK SHELTRA, NO. 60 FERGUSON PIPE ENTERPRISES,
INC.-FLORAGANICS-THE CASITE COMPANY DODGE CHARGER:
SHELTRA: (ON MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY)
“Michigan International Speedway is an amazing place.
A huge track with a lot of history. I’ve raced here
twice with one bad finish and one solid finish. This year,
I would like to make a statement at Michigan International
Speedway and put our team in victory lane in the “Motor
City.”
SHELTRA: (YOU CHANGED MOTORS JUST PRIOR TO THE
BREAK) “Yeah, we felt like we were losing
some horsepower. We were turning some pretty good laps early
and then we just started falling off the pace. We didn’t
want to completely lose the motor so we pulled it out and
put the back-up in. We’re not worried, just glad that
we diagnosed the problem here at the test rather than race
weekend.”
SHELTRA: (ON WEDNESDAY’S TEST SESSION)
“This is a brand new piece for us this weekend. It’s
another Dodge that we’ve acquired from Penske Racing
and I know it will be a great piece. We just want to get
a good feel for this car, shake out the bugs and make sure
our RC Consultants motors have some serious steam. We want
to come back here in a couple weeks and be the car to beat.”
SHELTRA: (WHAT IS THE KEY TO MASTERING MICHIGAN
INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY?) “You have to have
a good down force car and you have to some power under the
hood. We’re lucky enough we’ve acquired some
great equipment from the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series side and
it’s been dividends for us. RC Consultants does our
engines for the Dodge program and they have really stepped
up to the plate and poured out some horsepower. I’m
very confident in our abilities for this race and I know
that we can be a car to beat.”
SHELTRA: (ON THE DODGE PROGRAM) “We
can not be any more pleased with the progress and performance
of our Dodge program at Sheltra Motorsports. We weren’t
really sure what to expect when we announced the switch,
but it’s very likely that you’ll see us run
more Dodges this year than Chevrolets.”
SHELTRA: (HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR ARCA TO COME
BACK TO MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY YEAR AFTER YEAR?)
“Well, I’ve only been here twice but
I believe the series has been coming here since the 1980s,
that’s a long time. A couple years before I was even
born. The ARCA RE/MAX Series is an important series, it
really is. The officials at Michigan International Speedway
have realized that as well and that’s why we see MIS
in the schedule every year. I really wish they would go
back to two races here though. Maybe that’s something
we’ll see for 2009.”
SHELTRA: (HOW IMPORTANT IS A SPOTTER AT MICHIGAN
INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY?) “A spotter is so
crucial anywhere you go but at Michigan International Speedway
I wouldn’t want to race without one. Things happen
in a hurry here and you want to have another set of eyes
on the track looking out for you. I have a great spotter
in Kevin Huffines and I wouldn’t want anyone but him
up there for me.”
SHELTRA: (MICHIGAN IS HOME TO ONE OF YOUR MARKETING
PARTNERS, THE CASITE COMPANY) “Yes, it’s
very cool to have a company like The Casite Company this
close to the race track. I tell you what; their products
at The Casite Company are the best on the market. We use
them fluently at the shop and the track and we would not
consider using anyone else. I want to thank The Casite Company
for all they’ve done for me and Sheltra Motorsports
and we hope that we can deliver them a victory in their
own back yard next month.”
SHELTRA: (POINTS ARE EXTREMLY TIGHT, WHAT CAN AN
ARCA RACE AT MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DO TO YOUR
SEASON?) “Much like any big racetrack it
can either be a real good point’s day or a real bad
point’s day. We’ve been fortunate enough to
be able to avoid a lot of headaches but we can’t let
our guard down, especially at Michigan International Speedway.
We need to go out there, practice well, sit on the pole
and be a contender to the win the race. I’m not worried
about the guys ahead of me or behind me; I’m focused
on getting the best finish possible for our marketing partners
and team.”
SHELTRA: (ON SEASON THUSFAR) “We
really have no room to complain. We’ve had a good
season. We had one bad run at Rockingham where we lost an
engine but other than that we don’t have anything
to cry about. Besides Rockingham, we’ve finished in
the top-15 and our last race we finished second. The team
is really pumped up.”
SHELTRA: (DID YOU EXPECT YOUR SOPHMORE SEASON TO
GO THIS WELL SO FAR?) “We were hoping that
it would. We announced last year at the ARCA banquet that
we would going to try and be a serious threat for the championship.
We have a great team surrounded by some great equipment.
We just have to keep doing what we’re doing and try
not to have any mistakes.”
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.
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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