| Point’s Leader Patrick Sheltra
Second In ARCA Practice At Michigan
“Team’s Early Season Momentum Continues
In Irish Hills”
BROOKLYN, Michigan (June 10, 2010) - - Current ARCA Racing
Series (ARS) presented by RE/MAX and Menards point’s
leader Patrick Sheltra mounted his best practice speed of
the season Friday morning as the 24-year old rising star
managed the second fastest time in the lone practice session
leading into tomorrow’s Racing for Wildlife 200 at
Michigan International Speedway (MIS).
Sheltra and crew chief Jon Wolfe credit the success of
practice to the team’s determination plus the extra
track time the Sheltra Motorsports team obtained during
the open ARCA Racing Series test two weeks ago at MIS.
The Indiantown, Florida native was one of the first pilots
to tackle the two-mile oval, which has gone through millions
of dollars worth of renovation since ARCA’s last visit
in 2009. Early on, Sheltra negotiated his Grace Sheltra-owned
machine to the top of the scoring pylon. However, as the
two-hour session progressed, the No. 60 Recycling Services
/ Toyota Camry slipped down the order as several of Sheltra’s
competitors were posting lap times that were a tick quicker
than Sheltra.
Under the guidance of Wolfe, the team made several chassis
and shock adjustments before even making the move to construct
a gear change, which the team mutually agreed upon.
In the final 20 minutes of practice, Sheltra went out and
with the guidance of spotter Matt Roberts to make his initial
mock qualifying run. After two laps, Sheltra was unhappy
with the lap time which prompted the fourth year ARCA team
to again take another stab at a pretend qualifying attempt.
Rolling out just five minutes from the conclusion of the
lone practice session of the weekend, Sheltra busted off
a lap of 39.052 seconds at 184.370 miles per hour improving
the team’s position to second. Craig Goess, last weekend’s
winner at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway ended as the session leader
just .042 thousands of a second ahead of Sheltra.
On the cool down lap, Sheltra informed his team that the
car was still a little “free” in the center
of the corner but was extremely satisfied with the performance
of his Toyota Camry. Sheltra’s second place run is
a track-best for the driver nicknamed “Mr. Showtime”,
and the best overall practice run for the Sheltra Motorsports
operation since leading the ARCA Racing Series field last
April at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in happy hour.
"We made two qualifying runs there at the end because
we did not get what we were looking for out of the first
one. The second outing was a lot better,” sounded
Sheltra, who will make his fifth start at the track nestled
in the lush Irish Hills of Southeastern Michigan Friday
evening.
He continued, “We were a little tight when we went
back out again, but we're going to compare our notes from
the two runs and see what we can put together for the real
deal. This No. 60 Recycling Services / Ferguson Pipe Toyota
Camry has been real stout. It was strong at the test and
it's very good here thus far. I think we'll be a threat
for the pole later today and hopefully we can close out
the weekend with our first win of the season tomorrow."
The family-owned Sheltra Motorsports team converted its
speedway program from a Dodge last year to the powerful
Japanese nameplate; Toyota Camry for the 2010 ARCA Racing
Series season. The team’s automobile this weekend
is a new chassis for Sheltra Motorsports after being acquired
during the off-season.
42 teams took a practice lap around Michigan International
Speedway Thursday morning which leads up to Menards Pole
by Ansell qualifying which is locked for 3:00 p.m. this
afternoon. Sheltra is scheduled to be the 12th driver to
make his qualifying run in preparation for the eighth race
of the 2010 season.
Justin Marks who is 25 points behind Sheltra in the ARCA
Racing Series championship chase netted the 10th fastest
time in practice, with Venturini Motorsports’ Mikey
Kile, who is marred 95 markers behind in third place recorded
the third fastest practice lap of the day.
Cost-effective marketing partnerships are still available
for Michigan International Speedway this weekend and for
the remainder of the 2010 ARCA Racing Series season. For
additional information, please contact marketing@patricksheltra.com.
Sheltra has 74 ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and
Menards starts to his credit with one career victory at
Salem (Ind.) Speedway (April 2009). During his ARCA tenure,
Sheltra has accumulated 14 top-fives and posted 29 top-10
finishes. A third place qualifying effort at Rockingham
(N.C.) Speedway (April 2009) is Sheltra’s best time
trials efforts to date. He has controlled the ARCA field
six times for 148 laps.
The Racing for Wildlife 200 (100 laps / 200 miles) is the
eighth of 20 events on the 2010 ARCA Racing Series schedule.
The 29th ARCA race at Michigan International Speedway is
a two-day show. Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying is set
for later in the day slated to begin at 3:00 p.m. The event
will take the green flag on Friday, June 11 shortly after
5:00 p.m. The event will air live on SPEED. Additional race
coverage including live timing and scoring throughout the
week will be available through the BAS Racing Network in
conjunction with 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.
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 24-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.
TEAM COMMUNICATIONS CONTACT:
Chris Knight, Sheltra Motorsports
P: 239.834.9797
E: chris@patricksheltra.com
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