Patrick Sheltra Solid In New Jersey Practice

Topics:  Patrick Sheltra, The South Jersey Building Trades 150

Chris Knight
Sheltra Motorsports
MacDonald Motorsports
September 12, 2009

MILLVILLE, New Jersey (September 12, 2009) - - Two solid 11th place practice sessions Saturday at the New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) have set the pre-race tone for the Whitesville, Kentucky based Sheltra Motorsports team for tomorrow’s The South Jersey Building Trades 150.

In just the team’s second-ever visit to the Millville, New Jersey race course, the Sheltra Motorsports team led by veteran crew chief John Hayden were hoping to utilize the two practice sessions hoping to find an extra push from their recent test at the 2.25-mile road course last month.

In the first practice, Sheltra maneuvered his No. 60 Buffalo Wings & Rings Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS around the course in 86.035 seconds amounting to a speed of 94.148 miles per hour.

The team’s laps were impressive to some, since Sheltra, the 23-year old phenom isn’t considered a road course expert. The Indiantown, Florida native reported though he needed some adjustments to his brakes.

Focusing on the final one-hour session, the dirt late model ace once again returned to form and snuck his Grace Sheltra owned machine into the top-10 before sliding back overall to claim 11th. Sheltra improved from his previous run by mounting a lap of 85.546 seconds or 94.686 miles per hour.

Sheltra reported a tight condition during his final run but Hayden instructed his driver that his feeling could be tire pressure related and would diminish as laps clicked off. Overall, Sheltra was very content with the handling of his racecar.

“I feel like we have a good car for tomorrow’s race,” said Sheltra, who will be featured in the official New Jersey Motorsports Park program Sunday. “The biggest thing I need is seat time. I would like to see my laps be a little more consistent; but we’re working on that.”

He added, “If we can keep our Buffalo Wings & Rings machine on the track tomorrow; we should be able to go home with a top-10 finish. I’m really proud of my Sheltra Motorsports guys. They have worked their tails off and this car just keeps getting better and better. I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s race.”

This afternoon’s Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying will be broken up by groups according to how the team’s practiced Saturday. Sheltra will roll out first in group three. 35 cars are expected to make an attempt to gain entry into Sunday’s field in seven different groups in 10 minute increments per group.

Following his duties at NJMP, Sheltra and his team will relax and spend their Saturday evening at the Toad Fish Bar & Grill. Tonight's activities will mark the second year that the New Jersey based restaurant has aligned with the team.

Entering New Jersey, Sheltra has 63 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 21 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.

The South Jersey Building Trades 150 (150 miles / 67 laps) is the 18nth of 21 events on the 2009 ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule. The second ARCA event held at the New Jersey Motorsports Park is a two-day show. Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying is slated to begin at 4:30 p.m. The field will take the green flag on Sunday, September 13 shortly after 1:00 p.m. The event will not be televised but broadcast coverage will be available live through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com. All times are local.

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, OH, Buffalo Wings & Rings operates 52 franchised restaurants in the United States. Buffalo Wings & Rings was ranked the #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 www.buffalowingsandrings.com or call 513-831-WING.

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TEAM COMMUNICATIONS CONTACT:

NAME: Chris Knight, Sheltra Motorsports
PHONE: 239.834.9797 or 239.214.1083
EMAIL: chris@patricksheltra.com