| “Business As Normal”
For ARCA Point’s Leader Patrick Sheltra At Rockingham
“Sheltra Motorsports Staying Focused; Eyeing First
Stock Car Championship”
ROCKINGHAM, North Carolina (October 6, 2010) - - Patrick
Sheltra clearly announced at the ARCA Racing Series championship
banquet last December that he was returning the series with
a vengeance and would be in the hunt for the 2010 ARCA Racing
Series championship. Sheltra, 24 has lived up to his promise
and enters Saturday’s American 200 presented by Black's
Tire and Auto Service at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway as the
ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards point’s
leader.
Sheltra, driver of the No. 60 Tequesta Road and Bridge
of Florida / Jones Group International Toyota Camry though
has a tough fight ahead of him Saturday afternoon at the
track nicknamed “The Rock.” With fellow championship
contenders Craig Goess and Tom Hessert just 10 and 20 points
behind the Indiantown, Florida native respectively, Sheltra
knows that the championship could come down to the final
lap of the American 200, a repeat scenario from last year’s
ARCA season finale.
But, if the team is feeling any pressure, they aren’t
showing it. Under the leadership of veteran crew chief Jon
Wolfe, the Mooresville, North Carolina-based team enters
the 20th race of the season with the same mentality that
has offered the veteran ARCA team the opportunity to earn
their first stock car championship, “business as normal.”
“We haven’t changed anything,” said Sheltra,
who will make his fourth career start at Rockingham (N.C.)
Speedway Saturday afternoon. “The guys have been busting
their tails like they’ve done every week. We’re
staying focused as if Rockingham was any normal race. We
feel with that attitude, determination and focus, it will
allow us to hoist the championship trophy.”
Indeed, the team’s work ethics have been all but
flawless in 2010. In 19 races this season, the team has
amassed two wins, 11 top-fives and 16 top-10 finishes, the
most of any ARCA Racing Series team this season.
Also, with their fifth place run at Kansas Speedway last
Thursday, Sheltra Motorsports won the Hoosier Tire Superspeedway
Challenge Award for the best collection of performances
on the series' eight speedway races this season. In all,
Sheltra racked up one win, six top-five finishes and eight
top-seven finishes on oval tracks consisting of 1.5-miles
or longer in length.
“Awesome is the best word to describe the Sheltra
Motorsports team this year,” sounded Sheltra. “We’ve
worked hard, won races and been fast each and every race.
They have already earned the championship in my eyes, we
just need to collect the hardware this weekend to make it
official.”
In an effort to help secure the ARCA Racing Series championship,
the Sheltra Motorsports team will participate in the open-test
session at the historic one-mile oval Thursday (October
7). The team will bring two Toyotas to the track for an
eight-hour open practice session to set the tone for Saturday’s
highly anticipated thriller.
“The test is important,” said Sheltra. “We
want to make sure that we have the best car for the race
on Saturday. Both race cars we are bringing are strong.
We’ll shake them down, tweak on them a bit and then
see which one offers the best chance for us to have another
satisfying run.”
For the second consecutive week, Sheltra Motorsports will
be boasting the logos of the Tequesta Road and Bridge of
Florida and Jones Group International aboard their Japanese
nameplate as the primary marketing partners for Sheltra’s
87th career ARCA start.
Before turning to his duties on Friday and Saturday, Sheltra
will join a host of other ARCA Racing Series drivers in
downtown Rockingham at Thunderfest on Thursday, October
7 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (local) for a meet and greet
and an autograph session.
Entering Rockingham, Sheltra has 86 ARCA Racing Series
presented by RE/MAX and Menards starts to his credit with
three career victories at Salem (Ind.) Speedway (April 2009),
the Illinois State Fairgrounds (August 2010) and Chicagoland
Speedway (August 2010). During his ARCA tenure, Sheltra
has accumulated 21 top-fives and posted 38 top-10 finishes.
A second place qualifying effort at Chicagoland Speedway
(August 2010) is Sheltra’s best time trials effort
to date. He has controlled the ARCA field 10 times for 276
laps.
The American 200 presented by Black's Tire and Auto Service
(200 laps / 200 miles) is the 20th of 20 events on the 2010
ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards schedule.
The fifth ARCA race held at Rockingham is a two-day show.
Practice begins Friday, October 8 with an hour and a half
practice session planned from 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Menards
Pole by Ansell qualifying is slated to begin later in the
day at 2:30 p.m. The event will take the green flag on Saturday,
October 9 shortly after 1:30 p.m. The race will be broadcasted
live on SPEED with additional broadcast coverage including
live timing and scoring throughout the 1,313 race for the
ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards since
it was formed in 1953 available through the ARCA Racing
Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com presented by ARCANation.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 (Official
Patrick Sheltra Fan Page) by clicking here. Tweet with Patrick
Sheltra on Twitter (@patricksheltra) at twitter.com/patricksheltra.
About Sheltra Motorsports:
Sheltra Motorsports (sheltramotorsports.com) is a three-tier
professional Motorsports organization 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
Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) Racing Series presented
by RE/MAX and Menards (No. 60) and a limited schedule in
the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR).
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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