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Patrick Sheltra Heads To Iowa On A Mission

Topics: Patrick Sheltra, Prairie Meadows 250

Patrick Sheltra Heads To Iowa On A Mission

Chris Knight
Sheltra Motorsports
April 16, 2008

“Sixth In Points Has Sheltra Itching For More”

NEWTON, Iowa (April 16, 2008) – After two positive top-15 finishes at Daytona International Speedway and Salem Speedway sophomore ARCA RE/MAX Series (ARS) driver Patrick Sheltra is thirsty for his first top-10 finish of the season as the series strolls to Iowa Speedway this weekend for the running of the Prairie Meadows 250 Saturday afternoon.

The first two races of the season haven’t yielded the finishes the Sheltra Motorsports deserve, however the performance of the team hasn’t lacked. Up front and in contention at Daytona and Salem have kept the team alive and ready to keep the momentum rolling heading into the third race of the season.

“I’m really looking forward to heading to Iowa Speedway this weekend,” said Sheltra, who is enjoying his second full season of competition in the ARCA RE/MAX Series. “We didn’t have the finish that we should have last year, but the experience was priceless. The team has done a fabulous job this year and I’m hoping we can continue that trend this weekend.”

Planting it in his mind that Iowa Speedway is still a short track, Sheltra takes the same mentality that he used last Sunday at Salem Speedway to the newly constructed Newton , Iowa speed plant this weekend. “Of course there is a huge difference between Iowa Speedway and Salem Speedway, but it’s hard to believe with the speeds of the track; that’s it’s still a short track. It’s good hard racing. Iowa isn’t as tough as Salem is, but it’s a place where you can’t let up on the wheel either. I know the competition there was tight last year and I expect the same this weekend.”

Opting not to participate in the open-test at .875-mile oval earlier this month doesn’t faze the Whitesville, Kentucky operation or the dirt track ace heading into to third race on the calendar.

“We feel that our Iowa program is going to be stout,” added Sheltra, who will run three different racing divisions in 2008. “I have great faith in my crew chief John (Hayden) that we’ll unload with a strong setup and the changes that we make will make us even stronger throughout the weekend.”

Speaking of Hayden, he has elected to bring the Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS that the team utilized in the season finale last year at Toledo Speedway. The 23rd event on the schedule awarded the team with a powerful effort after Sheltra bolted into a top-five and recovered from being spun out to net a eighth place finish in the former Richard Childress Racing machine.

The Sheltra Motorsports team is banking on similar success at Iowa , a racetrack designed by Rusty Wallace.

“We’re bringing a real good piece to Iowa this weekend,” Sheltra sounded. “This is our first real short track car and we were ecstatic with the results from last year. Hopefully we’ll make it two top-10 finishes in a row for this car Saturday afternoon.”

After his duties at the track on Friday afternoon, Sheltra will spend his evening at the Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino ( Altoona , Iowa ) participating in an autograph session from 6:00pm to 7:00pm local time.

Heading into Iowa, Sheltra has 27 ARCA RE/MAX Series starts to his credit with a career best finish of third on the dirt at Illinois State Fairgrounds (August 2007) with an additional top-five finish (fourth) at Berlin Raceway (July 2007) while holding additional top-10s at Kentucky Speedway (June 2007), DuQuoin State Fairgrounds (September 2007) and Toledo Speedway (October 2007). Three ninth-place qualifying efforts at Kansas Speedway (April 2007), Pocono Raceway (June 2007) and Illinois State Fairgrounds (August 2007) is Sheltra’s best time trials efforts to date.

The Prairie Meadows 250 (250 laps/219 miles) is the third of 21 events on the 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule. The third ARCA race held at Iowa is a two-day show. Practice begins Friday, April 18 with an hour and a half practice session planned from 12:30-2:00 p.m. A second round of practice has been etched in from 3:00-4:30 p.m. ARCA SIM Factory pole qualifying is set for Saturday morning April 19 slated to begin at 9:00 a.m. with the field taking the green flag shortly after 12:35 p.m. The race will be televised live on SPEED (12:30 p.m. local) with additional race coverage online at arcaracing.com. All times are local.

For more on Patrick Sheltra, please visit the newly re-launched PatrickSheltra.com.

About Sheltra Motorsports:

Sheltra Motorsports (sheltramotorsports.com) is a three-tier Motorsports operation consisting of dirt and asphalt competition. Patrick Sheltra, a 21-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 Craftsman Truck Series (No. 35). 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 .

Patrick Sheltra, Sheltra Motorsports, Salem Speedway Notes of Interest:

· Sheltra Motorsports will run a mixture of Chevrolet Monte Carlos and Dodge Chargers during the 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series season. For Salem , Sheltra Motorsports will run a Chevrolet Monte Carlo purchased from Richard Childress Racing (RCR). Sheltra Motorsports debuted the automobile last October at Toledo Speedway awarding the team with an eighth place finish. Clements Automotive will provide the horsepower for the sophomore ARCA team.

· Sheltra currently holds the highest points position (sixth) that he has ever held in his ARCA RE/MAX Series career. Last year, the 21-year old superstar finished seventh in the championship standings competing in 22 of the scheduled 23 events.

· Sheltra will make 1,000 left hand turns on Saturday afternoon.

In addition to running a full 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule, Sheltra will also run a limited schedule in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (No. 35) and compete in selected dirt late model events (UMP and WoO Series) throughout the United States.

Sheltra Motorsports Quick 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, FloraGanics, American Concrete Industries, Inc, Hardie Pipe, The Casite Company, J&S Bulk Transportation, Inc., US Construction Supply Corp., Martin County Petroleum, Sheltra & Son Construction, Sheltra Cattle Company, Recycling Services, Indiantown Marina, All About Flowers, Speed Media, Klotz Lubricants, DMC Graphics and Purcell Tire & Rubber.

Crew Chief: John Hayden

Team Manager: Keith Strunk

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TEAM COMMUNICATIONS CONTACT:

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