Sheltra Returns To Pocono With Unfinished Business

Topics:  Patrick Sheltra, Pocono 200

Chris Knight/Steve Howell
Sheltra Motorsports
June 6, 2007

“Ninth In Points; Sheltra Aims For First Top-Five”

LONG POND, PA (June 6, 2007) - - Patrick Sheltra has quietly moved into the top-10 in ARCA RE/MAX Series points and has the sanction heads into Pocono Raceway this weekend, Sheltra seeks redemption at the track which ripped him from his first career top-10 finish last June at the tricky 2.5-mile Speedway.

Last season, Sheltra driving for longtime racecar driver and ARCA winner Ken Schrader appeared to be heading towards a career best finish in his young ARCA tenure but late race contact with another competitor spoiled the finish and put a sour taste in Sheltra’s mouth.

A year later, Sheltra’s nerves have calmed down but he is ready for action in Saturday’s Pocono 200.

“I’m ready for a Pocono return,” said Sheltra who notched a 20th place finish at Iowa Speedway last Saturday. “I like Pocono Raceway; it’s a fun place to race. It’s definitely a challenging racetrack, but I’m looking forward to making up for the disaster we had their last year.”

With only one top-10 finish of the season to his credit at Kentucky Speedway, Sheltra is eager to add to his ARCA resume and continue to move up the momentum ladder as the series is approaching halfway.

“We’ve had some good runs spoiled by some bad luck,” Sheltra said. “We’ve been consistent everywhere we’ve gone, we just have been able to seal the deal. We need to start doing that. We’re finishing races and that’s important, we just need to see if we can finish a little higher in the finishing order.”

Sheltra continued, “This is my rookie season in the ARCA RE/MAX Series. We unfortunately missed Daytona and have been trying to make catch-up since then. I think it’s great for our team to be sitting in the top-10 despite missing one race, but Blake Bjorklund missed two races last season and he finished in the top-five. I have a team that is capable of doing the same; we just need a little luck to be in the mix too.”

Nicknamed “Mr. Showtime” for his stunning performances on the dirt across the country, Sheltra knows that Stock Car Racing is his future.

“I want to be a NASCAR driver someday. I think I have the characteristics of a driver to get me there I just need to bide my time and keep performing. I’m lucky to be surrounded by a team like Premier Motorsports and my sponsors FloraGanics-Brady Ranch who have all helped me achieve my ARCA success until now. This is a development series for NASCAR and I’m learning a whole bunch that will be useful when I do make that transition.”

The Pocono 200 (80 laps/200 miles) is the 10th of 23 events on the 2007 ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule. Practice begins Friday, June 8 with a one hour forty five minute (10:15am-11:55am Local Time) session planned. ARCA SIM Factory pole qualifying is slated for later in the afternoon at 1:45pm Local Time. The event will take the green flag on Saturday at 1:00pm Local Time. The race will be taped-delayed and aired on SPEED at 8:00pm Local Time. Additional race coverage is available online at arcaracing.com

For more on Patrick Sheltra, please visit PatrickSheltra.com

PATRICK SHELTRA POCONO QUICK FACTS:

2007 Stats

Starts: Eight

Best Start: Ninth at Kansas Speedway , April 2007

Top-Fives: None

Top-10s: One (Ninth at Kentucky Speedway .)

Did Not Finish (DNFs): One ( Winchester Speedway )

Laps Led: None

Notes of Interest:

Sheltra sits fourth in the ARCA RE/MAX Series Rookie-of-the-Year standings despite missing the season opener at Daytona International Speedway in February.

Sheltra is a graduate of Andy Hillenburg’s Fast Track High Performance Driving School .

When not racing in the ARCA RE/MAX Series, Sheltra can often be found at a local dirt track competing nationwide in his late model.

Sheltra is a native of Indiantown , Florida

###

MEDIA CONTACTS:

NAME: Chris Knight, Premier Motorsports
PHONE: 239.834.9797
EMAIL: knight849@aol.com

NAME: Steve Howell, Sheltra Motorsports
PHONE: 912.674.1000
EMAIL: sheltramotorsports@hotmail.com