Patrick Sheltra, No. 60 Ferguson Pipe Enterprises-FloraGanics
Dodge Charger; Southern Illinois 100 Fast Facts
ARCA RE/MAX Series Race No. 16, Southern Illinois 100
DuQuoin State Fairgrounds, DuQuoin, Illinois

Race Information: Event: Southern Illinois 100, Monday, September 1 at 1:00 p.m. Local Time Track: DuQuoin State Fairgrounds Qualifying: Monday, September 1 at 11:00 a.m. Local Time; Track Length: 1.0-mile clay.

Illinois State Fairgrounds Recap: In the most ARCA RE/MAX Series race, Patrick Sheltra looked well on his way to his second top-five finish of the season but a flat tire late in the Allen Crowe 100 forced an unscheduled pit stop. Sheltra rebounded and flew from back the back of the pack to record a 12th place finish, his third straight top-12 effort.

Welcome Back To My Turf: Patrick Sheltra is no stranger to the dirt and for the third time in his ARCA RE/MAX Series career, Sheltra will return to the dirt in the ARCA RE/MAX Series gunning for win number one Monday afternoon. Sheltra showcased his driving talent on the dirt competing in USAC and UMP late model events throughout the United States before making the transition to asphalt full time in 2007.

One Year Ago: In his inaugural debut in the ARCA RE/MAX Series at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds, Sheltra proved that his dirt track skills could not be taken lightly for the second straight dirt event. The Indiantown, Florida native started 12th and proved that he was no rookie by advancing six positions in the extremely competitive field to net a sixth place finish in his second stock car dirt event. The finish was one of Sheltra’s five top-10 finishes in 2007.

Racing Under The Weekend Lights: Before Sheltra makes the trip to DuQuoin, Illinois for the traditional Labor Day ARCA event, Sheltra spent Friday and Saturday night behind the wheel of his No. 23 Sheltra Motorsports dirt late model in the states of Indiana and Ohio.

Welcome To The Team: Earlier this week, Sheltra Motorsports announced the addition of Motorsports veteran Larry Moore who will serve as the Director of Competition effective immediately. Moore comes to Sheltra Motorsports after a lengthy stint with Justin Allgaier Motorsports where Moore served as crew chief. In 2008, Moore led Allgaier to two victories at Salem Speedway and Cayuga Motor Speedway respectively. He will work side-by-side with crew chief John Hayden and team manager Keith Strunk.

On The Horizon: Sheltra Motorsports will sport two unique paint schemes in two of the remaining six events on the 2008 schedule. The No. 60 team will unveil a new paint scheme at Salem Speedway on September 13th and follow up with a brand new marketing partner and look for the ARCA RE/MAX 250 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 3.

Grabbing Life By The Horns: For the ninth time this season, Sheltra and his team will bring a Dodge Charger to the track. With four top-10s already in the books under the Dodge banner, the team is hoping to record their first top-five under the Chrysler nameplate. The team answered their inaugural debut with Dodge with a respectable eighth place finish at Kansas Speedway. A week later the team proved that the finish was no fluke as Sheltra steered through late race carnage and confusion at Kentucky Speedway to record an seventh place finish. In June, Sheltra mounted his best finish in a Charger after recording a sixth place finish at the two-mile oval of Michigan International Speedway. Sheltra also battled back from adversity to nail a 10th place finish in the TOYOTA ARCA 150 at Nashville Superspeedway in early August. The new manufacturer also catapulted Sheltra to record a career best qualifying effort (Kansas) while also leading the field for four laps at the 1.5-mile race track of Kansas Speedway.

Impressive Stat: With 15 races complete in the 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series season, Sheltra Motorsports has fielded a car for Patrick Sheltra that has run in the top-10 for all 15 events thus far this season. The team has amassed one top-five with a runner-up at Toledo Speedway while holding five additional top-10 finishes. The team’s season best qualifying effort came at Kansas Speedway where Sheltra awarded himself with a career best run of eighth. Sheltra recorded his career best short track qualifying run of eighth at Berlin Raceway in July. The team has led two races at Kansas Speedway and Cayuga Motor Speedway for a total of 15 laps.

Watcha Haulin?: Crew Chief John Hayden has elected to bring Sheltra Motorsports chassis number 7 to the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds this weekend. This is the same automobile the team participated with the Illinois State Fairgrounds on August 17th. This piece also has track time at USA International Speedway, Iowa Speedway, Gateway International Raceway and The Milwaukee Mile last year. The team converted the former Dale Earnhardt, Inc. automobile to a Dodge Charger during the off-season. Chassis number 4 will serve as the team’s backup automobile. This car has not run in 2008 but is the same piece that Sheltra ran in both ARCA dirt events last year in addition to a top-five finish at Berlin Raceway last July.

Point Standings: After round 15 on the 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule, Patrick Sheltra sits 10th in the championship standings accumulating 3,015 points. Sheltra is 445 markers from moving into the fifth position currently held by nine-time ARCA RE/MAX Series champion Frank Kimmel. 135 points keep Sheltra from moving into the sixth position. 700 credits separate Sheltra from the points lead held by SunTrust Rookie-of-the-Year candidate Scott Speed.

Sheltra Motorsports, DuQuoin State Fairgrounds Pre-Race Quotes:
Patrick Sheltra, driver of the No. 60 Ferguson Pipe Enterprises-FloraGanics Dodge:

On Springfield: “It was another race that we were extremely strong but didn’t have a finish to show it. I was hoping that my fear wasn’t true. We worn out the tire and had to come in unexpectedly and change it. It put us at the back of the pack near the end of the race. We made the best of a bad situation but marched forward to a top-12.”

On DuQuoin: “I wasn’t exactly happy with my sixth place finish last year, but this is a new year and another opportunity. DuQuoin is a pretty cool place, a little different from Springfield but the two tracks have similar characteristics. We can win on Monday afternoon there is no doubt in my mind.”

On The Addition Of Larry Moore: “Our team is awesome. But the competition has become so strong in the ARCA RE/MAX Series that we’re doing everything in our power to keep up. Larry brings a lot of knowledge and wisdom and with that we feel we’ll benefit further and he’ll help develop us into an even stronger team.”

On The Bill France Triple Crown: “It’s an award that every driver would like to win. The award tests your talent and luck on several different types of track that the ARCA RE/MAX Series competes on. We were in contention last year but lost the battle. With the improvement of our team this year, I hope we can pull it off.”

Sheltra Motorsports, DuQuoin State Fairgrounds Pre-Race Quotes::
Grace Sheltra, owner of the No. 60 Ferguson Pipe Enterprises-FloraGanics Dodge:

On The Addition Of Larry Moore: “We’re very excited to have Larry Moore on our side. He is a very intelligent man and he will fit in nicely with the team. Our team is full of experienced talent and with his addition we hope to be the team everyone is chasing the rest of the season.”

On DuQuoin State Fairgrounds: “It’s really cool to have an ARCA RE/MAX Series race on Labor Day, especially at a dirt track. Patrick is eager to improve on his finish from last year and with the equipment we’re bringing to the racetrack, we considering ourselves one of the favorites to win Monday afternoon.”

PRIOR RESULTS:
Patrick Sheltra, DuQuoin State Fairgrounds Prior ARCA Performance Record:
Date Event Start Finish Laps Status
09/07 Southern Illinois 100 12 6 100/100 Running

The Southern Illinois (100 miles/100 laps) is the 16th of 21 events on the 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule. The 26th ARCA event held at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds is a one-day show. Practice begins Monday, September 1 with a one hour practice session planned from 9:00 a.m.- 10:00 a.m. ARCA SIM Factory pole qualifying is slated to begin at 11:00 a.m. The field will take the green flag Monday afternoon shortly after 1:00 p.m. The event will be tape-delayed on MavTV (Friday, September 5 at 8:00 p.m.) but additional race coverage including live timing and scoring and radio coverage courtesy of the ARCA Radio Network will be available online at arcaracing.com. All times are local.

Fast Links:
Driver/Team: Patrick Sheltra on the web: PatrickSheltra.com
Sanction: ARCA RE/MAX Series: ARCARacing.com

About Sheltra Motorsports:
Sheltra Motorsports (sheltramotorsports.com) is a three-tier Motorsports operation consisting of dirt and asphalt competition. Patrick Sheltra, a 22-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 NASCAR. 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.

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TEAM COMMUNICATIONS CONTACT:
NAME: Chris Knight, Sheltra Motorsports
PHONE: 239.834.9797 or 830.261.1215
EMAIL: knight849@aol.com