The last time ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards pro driver Patrick Sheltra visited the 2.5-mile triangle of Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, he left the Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 200 with the ARCA championship point’s lead intact. Returning to Long Pond, Pennsylvania just seven weeks later, two mechanical hiccups have slipped the Indiantown, Florida native to fourth in the overall chase. Despite the unexpected setbacks Sheltra is poised to make a dent in Saturday’s Weis Markets 125 and re-ignite his Sheltra Motorsports team’s championship drive with 10 races remaining on the 2010 calendar.

Armed with the same No. 60 Recycling Services / Ferguson Pipe Toyota Camry that Sheltra boasted a impressive fourth place finish in the 50th ARCA race held at the racetrack on June 5 that optimizes a road course feel instead of an oval, Sheltra is banking on the team’s success in June to return in a double-header feature that will follow upon the completion of the inaugural NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) Pocono Mountains 125.

“It’s good to be going back to Pocono,” said Sheltra, who make his ninth career start at Pocono this weekend. “We had a super good Toyota Camry the last time we were here and I feel like with what we learned in the race and what additional information we acquired back at the shop, we should be able to put our year back on track and hopefully be fighting for our first win of the season.” [more]

For the second consecutive race, Patrick Sheltra and his Sheltra Motorsports team were bit by circumstances beyond their control as two separate mechanical failures forced a upsetting 21st place finish Saturday night in the Tim Richmond Memorial ARCA 200 at Mansfield Motorsports Park (MMP).

Sheltra in the No. 60 Sheltra Motorsports Dodge Charger entered the 10th race of the 2010 ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards season hoping for a quick rebound from the most recent contest at Iowa Speedway where an engine failure last Saturday night resulted in the team’s worst finish (29th) of the year.

The Indiantown, Florida native started his one-day show at Mansfield by posting the 16th fastest lap in practice only to find additional speed in qualifying to put his Chrysler nameplate 14th in the starting lineup for his second ever tango with the Ohio-based speed plant. In typical Sheltra fashion the drop of the green flag saw the No. 60 quickly move up through the field and by lap five; Sheltra had carefully maneuvered his automobile into the top-10. [more]

Patrick Sheltra, No. 60 Recycling Services / Ferguson Pipe Dodge Charger
Tim Richmond Memorial ARCA 200 Fast Facts
ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards Race No. 10,
Tim Richmond Memorial ARCA 200, Mansfield Motorsports Park, Mansfield, Ohio

Race Information: Event: Tim Richmond Memorial ARCA 200, Saturday, July 17 at 8:00 p.m. Local Time Track: Mansfield Motorsports Park Qualifying: Saturday, July 17 at 5:30 p.m. Local Time; Track Length: .5-mile paved-oval.

Last Time Out; Iowa Speedway: It appeared that Patrick Sheltra and his Sheltra Motorsports team was well on their way to notching their ninth consecutive top-10 finish in a row at Iowa Speedway last weekend. The team unloaded their No. 60 Sheltra Motorsports Toyota Camry to post the sixth fastest time in the first practice. In happy hour, the Sheltra Motorsports posse flexed their muscle and recorded the top spot in the short practice session. After qualifying eighth, Sheltra motored into the top-five before the engine seized underneath the hood of the Jon Wolfe led team resulting in a 29th place finish in the Prairie Meadows 200.

Welcome Back To The Buckeye State: On Saturday night, the Indiantown, Florida native will make his second start at Mansfield Motorsports Park (MMP). In last year’s event, Sheltra qualified 16th but became trapped in a multi-car incident in the first corner of the first lap. Sheltra was able to rebound and put his No. 60 Dodge Charger into the top-10 before suspension failure 28 laps from the finish relegated the team to a 21st place finish. [more]

After losing the ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards points lead last weekend at Iowa Speedway because of an engine failure, Patrick Sheltra returns to Mansfield (Ohio) Motorsports Park (MMP) this weekend armed with a game plan and strategy that eventually should propel the Indiantown, Florida native and his Sheltra Motorsports posse back atop of the coveted championship chase.

After notching eight consecutive top-10 finishes in a row before Iowa, Sheltra left the .875-mile oval with his worst finish of the 2010 season, 29th. Set for his second outing in Saturday night’s Tim Richmond Memorial ARCA 200 at MMP, Sheltra is hoping for some magic, much like he received in 2009 at Salem (Ind). Speedway where the popular 24-year old notched his first career ARCA Racing Series victory after recovering from serious injuries sustained in the season-opener at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

Mansfield Motorsports Park shows similar characteristics to the brutal bullring of Salem (Ind.) Speedway and “Mr. Showtime” as he’s known in the ARCA garage is hoping to rekindle some of the “armor” he carried last year at the Southern Indiana track and hoist it under the lights in the “Buckeye State” for the 10th race of the 2010 ARCA Racing Series season. [more]

Patrick Sheltra entered Saturday night’s Prairie Meadows 200 at Iowa Speedway as the ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards points leader but a motor failure 46 laps into the 200-lap contest resulted in a disappointing 29th finish for the Indiantown, Florida native.

Sheltra was making his fourth start at the .875-mile paved oval and after notching the sixth and fastest (first) time respectively in the day’s duo practice sessions, the Sheltra Motorsports team had all the intuition that Saturday night’s event could be the night that the Jon Wolfe-led organization celebrated in victory lane.

In Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying, Sheltra maneuvered his No. 60 Recycling Services / Ferguson Pipe Toyota Camry to the eighth fastest time after the rising star admitted that he overdrove his machine gunning for his first career ARCA pole. When the green flag dropped for the ninth race of the season, “Mr. Showtime”, as he’s known in the ARCA garage wasted no time slicing and dicing his way through the front pack as by the completion of the fifth lap, Sheltra had worked his way into the sixth position. [more]

ARCA Racing Series (ARS) presented by RE/MAX and Menards point’s leader Patrick Sheltra bolted to the fastest lap in the final practice session for tonight’s Prairie Meadows 200 presented by SPEED on Mediacom.

Sheltra, the driver of the No. 60 Recycling Services / Ferguson Pipe Toyota Camry maneuvered his green and orange machine around the .875-mile short track in 23.952 seconds or 131.513 miles per hour. Sheltra ran a total of five laps during the final fifty minute session.

“We’re super happy,” said Sheltra, who leads the ARCA Racing Series point standings by 35 markers over Justin Marks. “We made two qualifying runs there in happy hour and we were able to pick up on our second run from our first. That truly is a testament to the team, our marketing partners and Triad (engine supplier for Toyota). We’ve never been this good at Iowa before, so I’m really looking forward to tonight.” [more]