Patrick Sheltra Expects Intense Race At Mansfield

Topics:  Patrick Sheltra, Tim Richmond Memorial ARCA RE/MAX 200

Chris Knight
Sheltra Motorsports
June 15, 2009

“Mr. Showtime Says Fans Are In For A Treat”

MANSFIELD, Ohio (June 15, 2009) - - “It’s going to be one heck of a show.” Those are the words from veteran ARCA RE/MAX Series driver Patrick Sheltra previewing Saturday’s inaugural Tim Richmond Memorial ARCA 200 at Mansfield Motorsports Park.

Sheltra and his Whitesville, Kentucky based team spent Monday testing at the Mansfield, Ohio track. Immediately, Sheltra, driver of the No. 60 Buffalo Wings & Rings Dodge Charger grew a liking to the half-mile oval and feels that Saturday night could be the night that his team returns to victory lane.

Earlier this year, Sheltra mastered Salem Speedway in his ARCA return after a massive incident in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway. Since the win, Sheltra has had several good runs but the strong finishes have been overshadowed by a couple of poor finishes due to circumstances beyond the team’s control.

Back to good ole’ classic short track racing, Sheltra is hoping to once again showcase his short track skills.

“The Mansfield race should be pretty exciting for the fans,” said Sheltra, who joined three other ARCA RE/MAX Series teams for the test on Monday. “The track is very unique. It seems that there is a couple different racing lines. I kind of compare this place to a Toledo, but it really isn’t a Toledo. So, if I had to compare it to a track that we compete on, Toledo would be my choice. Realistically though, this place is like nothing I’ve ever raced on before, dirt or asphalt.”

Taking to the track just after 8:00 a.m. local time, Sheltra under the direction of crew chief John Hayden started with a very conservative setup before hammering down and finding that perfect setup that would bring an opportunity to put the team back in the spotlight.

“We kept getting faster and faster throughout the day,” offered Sheltra. “Around 3:30 p.m., the car felt real good and we feel our qualifying run was strong enough for a good starting position, so I’m looking forward to Saturday.”

When asked if the Indiantown, Florida native was afraid of anything heading into the ninth race of the season he commented, “I’m a little concerned about lap cars. I don’t think there isn’t a lot of room for them. Don’t get me wrong, they have every right to be racing but if you have some faster cars that catch up to them quickly, it’s going to make it real interesting. Like I’ve preached, it should be a good show for the fans. They will get their money’s worth.”

After exiting Michigan last weekend with a 33rd place finish after the motor expired on his No. 60 Buffalo Wings & Rings TOYOTA Camry, Sheltra is looking for a little redemption this weekend.

“I would love to come here this weekend and gain some points. We need to do that. We’re on a little bit of a roller coaster ride right now. We’ve had some bad luck and that’s what it’s been, bad luck. Hopefully luck will be on our side Saturday night and we’ll get to put another tally next to win for the season,” concluded Sheltra.

Entering Mansfield, Sheltra has 54 ARCA RE/MAX Series starts to his credit with one career victory at Salem Speedway (April 2009). Sheltra also holds second place efforts at Rockingham Speedway (April 2009), Toledo Speedway (May 2008) and the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds (September 2008) with five additional top-five finishes, (third) at Pocono Raceway (June 2009), (fourth) at Toledo Speedway (October 2008), (fifth) at Talladega Superspeedway (October 2008), (third) at Illinois State Fairgrounds (August 2007) and (fourth) at Berlin Raceway (July 2007) while holding additional top-10s at Kentucky Speedway (May 2009), Nashville Superspeedway (August 2008), Michigan International Speedway (June 2008), Kentucky Speedway (May 2008), Kansas Speedway (April 2008), Iowa Speedway (April 2008), Kentucky Speedway (June 2007), DuQuoin State Fairgrounds (September 2007) and Toledo Speedway (October 2007). 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, 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 44 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.

###

TEAM COMMUNICATIONS CONTACT:

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