Patrick Sheltra ARCA Daytona Pre-Season Testing Saturday Notes & Quotes

Topics:  Patrick Sheltra, ARCA 200 at Daytona

Chris Knight
Sheltra Motorsports
December 15, 2007

ARCA RE/MAX Series, ARCA 200 at Daytona
Pre-Season Testing, Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Fla.
Open Practice Notes & Quotes
Saturday, December 15, 2007

After a successful first day of ARCA RE/MAX Series pre-season testing at Daytona International Speedway (DIS), sophomore-bound ARCA driver Patrick Sheltra returned to the track for the second of a three day test session. Morning showers drenched the 2.5-mile speedway halting practice for two and a half hours before Sheltra aboard his Sheltra Motorsports Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS joined the other 40 teams in attendance in preparation for the February 9 ARCA 200 at Daytona.

Sheltra, the 21-year old Indiantown , Florida native clocked off the 32nd fastest effort today in 60B with a time of 50.831 seconds at 177.057 MPH. In the team’s other entry, the 60A it collected the 52nd fastest effort with a time of 51.343 seconds or 175.292 MPH.

The Sheltra Motorsports team did not participate in Saturday afternoon’s drafting session as the team lost a transmission while also experiencing a broken rocker arm. The team will make the proper changes and be ready for Sunday’s drafting runs.

Here are some quotes and notes from today’s session:

PATRICK SHELTRA, NO. 60 FERGUSON PIPE ENTERPRISES, INC.-AMERICAN CONCRETE INDUSTRIES, INC. CHEVORLET MONTE CARLO SS:

SHELTRA: (ON THE RAIN DELAY) “It’s very disappointing that the rain adjusted our practice time on Saturday morning. After yesterday’s success, we were looking forward to getting underway early, but that’s racing. I live in the state of Florida , so rain can pop up at any time without any warning, such as the case this morning. We can’t control Mother Nature, but the down time allowed us to go over yesterday’s runs and our schedule for today.”

SHELTRA: (ON TESTING THE TEAM’S CAR NO. 60A, THE AUTOMOBILE HE MADE HIS RESTRICTOR PLATE DEBUT AT TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY IN OCTOBER) “We knew that the car may not post the same type of times that we did with our other car, so we weren’t fazed about the time, but we still have some work to do. On our first run, the car was extremely tight so we had to make an adjustment to loosen it up. We’ve utilized this car in single car and drafting runs, so we really know what to expect from it. It’s a good piece. We’re planning on testing at Talladega in January so we have some more time to see which car is the perfect candidate for Daytona.”

SHELTRA: (ON THE ARCA 200 AT DAYTONA BEING CONSIDERED A HOMETOWN RACE) “Oh, it’s huge. We are going to have a lot of support when we come back here in February, but I am really looking forward to it. I’m thankful where I’ve had a lot of support in my racing career and it only continues to get bigger each year. This is an important race for me. I’m only two hours from the speedway, so running well here is important for a lot of reasons. We’ll have plenty of support at home and in the stands and as a driver, you can’t ask for much more than that.”

SHELTRA: (ON COMMUNICATING WITH THE OTHER DRIVERS IN THE GARAGE AREA) “I have a lot of friends here in the garage area. I know if I am having a problem with something on the track or just want to talk about what’s going on, I can go up to a driver like Dexter Bean, Bryan Silas or Gabi DiCarlo and just talk with them. I’m meeting new drivers this weekend like Tom Hessert who drives for Andy Belmont, who is someone I know I can always count on for support. But the big picture goes back to my team. I have an incredible bunch of guys. They work my butts off for me, and I would not trade them for the world.”

SHELTRA: (ON AFTERNOON DRAFTING) “We were attempting to make our first draft run and I felt a bad vibration on the backstretch. I pulled it in because I did not want to risk tearing up the car. We lost a transmission and also inquired a faulty rocker arm. We’ll make the changes on Sunday morning and give it another shot.”

SHELTRA: (ON HIS OUTLOOK FOR SUNDAY’S ACTIVITIES) “As much track time as possible. We’ve got two cars to see which one really handles and reacts to the draft. I know the weather is looking puzzling but we still have a job to do and have to prepare for a full day of testing. Qualifying is important at Daytona, but if you don’t have a good drafting car, you could be out to lunch which is a big disadvantage for the race. I am looking forward to Sunday, that’s for sure.”

SHELTRA: (ON THE 2008 ARCA RE/MAX SERIES SEASON) “We are looking forward to it. This test even though it falls in 2007 unofficially kicks off the new season for Sheltra Motorsports. We are raising the bar for our second year of competition and we are going to give it our all for our first ARCA championship. The Sheltra Motorsports team are all winners and we’ll prove that in an even bigger way in next year.”

SHELTRA MOTORSPORTS FAST FACTS:

Team Name: Sheltra Motorsports, No. 60 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS

Driver: Patrick Sheltra, Indiantown , Florida

Car Owner: Grace Sheltra, Indiantown , Florida

Marketing Partners: Ferguson Pipe Enterprises, Inc, American Concrete Industries, Inc, Hardie Pipe, Indiantown Marina, Drug Discovery Testing (DDT), All About Flowers, Speed Media, Casite Products SawHorse Outfitters, J&S Bulk Transportation, Inc., Martin County Petroleum and FloraGanics.

Crew Chief: John Hayden

Team Manager: Keith Strunk

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