| Patrick Sheltra Gets Rocked At Rockingham Speedway
“Mid-Race Incident Yields Disappointing Finish
In ARCA Finale”
ROCKINGHAM, North Carolina (October 12, 2009) - - Garnishing
a lot of attention with his pink No. 60 Buffalo Wings &
Rings-Kimmie Cares Toyota Camry at Rockingham Speedway,
Patrick Sheltra and his Sheltra Motorsports team had high
hopes for Sunday’s ARCA RE/MAX American 200 but a
mid race incident with another driver forced an early exit
and a disappointing 38th place finish in the final event
of the 2009 ARCA RE/MAX Series season.
While the first race at Rockingham Speedway this season
was by all accounts a success, the second – well,
is one the team would like to forget about.
Bringing back a Toyota Camry as its primary manufacturer
for the season finale, the veteran Kentucky based team believed
they would have a contending car for the 21st race of the
year but as soon as practice was concluded the team knew
they would have a tough rock to climb.
After posting the 25th fastest lap in practice, the team
surveyed the radiator which had an irreparable hole forcing
the team to make the parts change. Unfortunately, the change
would be costly as Sheltra would be forced to forgive his
ARCA RE/MAX Series qualifying effort in place of the new
radiator.
With no qualifying time, Sheltra would line up 33rd, taking
a provisional for the first time in his ARCA RE/MAX Series
career.
A great effort by the Sheltra Motorsports team had the
radiator replaced by Sunday morning and with the pre-race
checklist complete, the team was ready to roll.
From the drop of the green flag, Sheltra’s pink camouflage
Toyota Camry began maneuvering through the field. Despite
turning some very fast lap times, Sheltra would have to
battle the 72 lap green flag run which allowed the leaders
to eventually catch the Grace Sheltra owned machine and
take them from the lead circuit.
The caution flag would waive several laps later with Sheltra
just one position shy of the Aaron’s Lucky Dog. Now,
the first go one lap down, Sheltra brought his Japanese
nameplate to the attention of his Sheltra Motorsports crew
where they bolted on four tires, added fuel and made a chassis
adjustment.
On the restart, Sheltra maintained his position as the
lucky dog machine but as Sheltra was racing in a group of
cars, contact from the No. 11 sent Sheltra’s pink
machine into the wall. The damage was deemed too severe
to continue with Sheltra being forced to exit the race just
115 laps into the denouement.
“It was definitely a disappointing way to end the
season,” said a dejected Sheltra. “I’m
not sure what happened. I know I was in a big group of cars
and I felt like I got hit from behind. It’s just one
of those racing deals. We had a special paint scheme here
this weekend to help bring attentiveness to Breast Cancer
Awareness Month while remembering our special friend Eliza
Ranieri. I’m sorry we couldn’t have a better
finish but I hope we brought some recognition to the cause.”
With the finish, Sheltra slipped from eighth to ninth in
the overall ARCA RE/MAX Series point standings just 10 points
behind Tom Hessert III. The 2009 ARCA RE/MAX Series season
however marks the third consecutive year that Sheltra has
finished inside the top-10 in the championship chase.
Next up for the ARCA RE/MAX Series is the 2009 Championship
Awards Banquet set for Saturday, December 5, 2009 at the
Northern Kentucky Convention Center in Covington, Kentucky.
The teams will then have to prepare for a three-day test
at Daytona International Speedway from December 18-20 to
prepare for the 2010 season opener in February.
Exiting Rockingham, Sheltra has 67 ARCA RE/MAX Series starts
to his credit with one career victory at Salem Speedway
(April 2009). During his ARCA tenure, Sheltra has accumulated
10 top-fives and posted 22 top-10 finishes. A third place
qualifying effort at Rockingham Speedway (April 2009) is
Sheltra’s best time trials efforts to date. He has
controlled the ARCA field five times for 109 laps.
For more on Patrick Sheltra, the Sheltra Motorsports team
and marketing partnership opportunities please visit PatrickSheltra.com.
For additional input on Buffalo Wings & Rings, please
connect to Buffalowingsandrings.com or call 513.831.WING.
About Sheltra Motorsports:
Sheltra Motorsports (sheltramotorsports.com) is a three-tier
Motorsports operation consisting of dirt and asphalt competition.
Patrick Sheltra, a 23-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 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 Whitesville, Kentucky.
About Buffalo Wings &
Rings:
Buffalo Wings & Rings is the fastest-growing privately
owned franchised chain of restaurants in the nation serving
Buffalo-style chicken wings, onion rings, burgers, chicken
and salads. Founded in 1988 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Buffalo
Wings & Rings operates franchised restaurants throughout
the United States. Buffalo Wings & Rings was ranked
the No. 1 fastest growing restaurant chain nationwide in
the July 2008 issue of Restaurant Business, and ranked in
the top 500 franchises in the January 2009 issue of Entrepreneur.
For more information, visit buffalowingsandrings.com or
call 513-831-WING.
TEAM COMMUNICATIONS CONTACT:
Chris Knight, Sheltra Motorsports
P: 239.834.9797
E: chris@patricksheltra.com |
