Patrick Sheltra, No. 60 Ferguson Pipe Enterprises-Quality Turf of Okeechobee, Inc. Dodge Charger; Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona Fast Facts |
|---|
Topics: Patrick Sheltra, Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200
|
Chris Knight
Sheltra Motorsports
February 5, 2009
ARCA RE/MAX Series Race No. 1, Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona, Daytona International Speedway , Daytona Beach , Florida
Race Information: Event: Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona, Saturday, February 7 at 4:00 p.m. Local Time Track: Daytona International Speedway Qualifying: Friday, February 6, at 12:00 p.m. Local Time Track Length: 2.5-mile paved-oval.
Kicking It Off: For the first time since October, the stars of the ARCA RE/MAX Series will fire their engines for a point’s paying event and officially kick off the 2009 ARCA season at the “World Center of Racing” for the 46th annual Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona.
Glad To Be Out Of The Mess: Last week was a very trying week for the Sheltra Motorsports team. After having full access to their shop on Monday. Mother Nature roared through Whitesville , Kentucky on Tuesday knocking out power to the team’s shop and limiting their efforts for the remainder of the week. The damage from the Ice storm kept the team out of the shop on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday forcing the team to spend Thursday and Friday working in the dark making their final preparations for Daytona. As of Monday, the team did not expect to have power back to their Western, Kentucky shop until sometime after the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona.
Returning To The Beach: Sheltra made his ARCA RE/MAX Series debut at Daytona International Speedway last year and impressed. After qualifying mid-pack, Sheltra magnificently missed the “big one” which found the Sheltra Motorsports team solidly in the top-10. Sheltra unfortunately wouldn’t finish his inaugural Daytona event in the top-10 after a controversial call from pit road saw Sheltra fall from the lead lap and settle for a 15th place finish.
Pre-Season Thunder: Sheltra Motorsports participated in pre-season testing for the ARCA RE/MAX Series at Daytona International Speedway and December and emerged as a serious candidate for Saturday’s event. Sheltra in his Grace Sheltra owned automobile had the fastest lap overall during testing after guiding his No. 60 Dodge around the track to a lap of 48.954 seconds at 183.846 miles per hour. The Whitesville, Kentucky based team was the lone car in the 48-second bracket during the three days of testing.
Welcome Back To ARCA RE/MAX Series Racing: After joining the team in their last restrictor plate race at Talladega Superspeedway, Quality Turf of Okeechobee, Inc. is returning with the junior year ARCA team as a major associate marketing partner for Saturday’s Super Bowl event. Quality Turf of Okeechobee, Inc. was along for the ride when Patrick Sheltra led laps and finished a very stout fifth in the last restrictor plate event at Talladega Superspeedway last October. Located in the heart of Okeechobee , Florida , Quality Turf serves their customers with pride and presence. From landscaping to sod to even irrigation installation, Quality Turf of Okeechobee, Inc. can meet your every outdoor need for an affordable price. Quality Turf of Okeechobee, Inc. services the Florida counties of Okeechobee, St. Lucie, Indian River, Martin and Palm Beach .
Watcha Haulin?: Crew Chief John Hayden has elected to bring back the same automobile the team finished 15th with in the ARCA 200 at Daytona last February. It is also the same car that Sheltra bolted to an impressive fifth in last October’s ARCA RE/MAX 250 at Talladega Superspeedway. Since Talladega , the team has chopped off the Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS body and converted the former Sprint Cup Series ride to a Dodge Charger. The piece was originally acquired from Richard Childress Racing (RCR) and was formerly driven by 2007 Daytona 500 champion Kevin Harvick.
Looking To Keep Impressive Stat Alive: In 21 races on the 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series tour, Sheltra Motorsports fielded a car for Patrick Sheltra that run in the top-10 (at one point or another) for all 21 events. The team has amassed four top-fives with a runner-up at Toledo Speedway and the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds, a fourth at Toledo Speedway and a fifth place effort at Talladega Superspeedway while holding five additional top-10 finishes. The team’s season best qualifying effort came at Kansas Speedway where Sheltra awarded himself with a career best run of eighth. Sheltra recorded his career best short track qualifying run of eighth at Berlin Raceway in July. The team has led three races at Kansas Speedway, Cayuga Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway for a total of 17 laps.
The Ultimate Hunting Experience: Sheltra Motorsports wants to give a race fan an ultimate opportunity to join Patrick Sheltra or Sheltra Motorsports dirt driver Shannon Babb a chance at a paramount moment to hunt with either drivers at Patrick Sheltra’s hunting ranch in Dryden , Texas . The best part, all expenses paid! Race fans will have the entire ARCA season to enter the contest with the winner being announced in the ARCA RE/MAX Series finale at Rockingham Speedway in October. Visit PatrickSheltra.com for more details.
Coming Soon; The People’s Car: In an effort to bring race fans closer to the Sheltra Motorsports team, the team is leaking out its preliminary plans for the Peoples Car. Launching at Salem Speedway in April, race fans will have the opportunity to have their name plastered on the No. 60 Dodge Charger for most of the ARCA RE/MAX Series season. In addition, each time a fan joins the People’s Car their name will be tossed into a drawing for an-all expensed paid trip to the 2009 ARCA RE/MAX Series season finale at Rockingham Speedway. The lucky fan will be a honorary member of the Sheltra Motorsports team plus enjoy a few little surprises the team has spiced up for the lucky winner. Stay tuned to PatrickSheltra.com or ThePeoplesCars.com for all the details.
Autographs Anyone: Patrick Sheltra will sign autographs for race fans on Saturday, February 7th from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. local time. Race fans will be permitted to enter the ARCA RE/MAX Series garage area through the Sprint FANZONE, which is located between the ARCA RE/MAX Series and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage areas. Come by and wish the local ( Indiantown , Florida ) native good luck before the start of the race!
Not Just ARCA Racing: Immediately following Daytona, Sheltra will have zero time to relax as he’ll head to Volusia County Speedway two days later and return to his racing roots behind the wheel of the No. 23 Chevrolet for six nights of dirt racing. Sheltra will also race against new Sheltra Motorsports teammate Shannon Babb, who will be on-hand to watch Sheltra compete in the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona Saturday afternoon.
Experience The Action From The Inside: Sheltra Motorsports will carry an in-car camera for Saturday’s Super Bowl ARCA RE/MAX Series event. Fans who are unable to attend the race will experience the race from the driver’s view. Sheltra will be promoting their Peoples Car and Hunting Extravaganza contests.
Looking Ahead: In addition to a full ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule, Sheltra Motorsports and driver Patrick Sheltra will also compete in a limited dirt late model schedule (UMP and WoO) while also continuing to advance Sheltra’s asphalt career by competing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
Sheltra Motorsports, Daytona International Speedway Pre-Race Quotes: Patrick Sheltra, driver of the No. 60 Ferguson Pipe Enterprises-Quality Turf of Okeechobee, Inc. Dodge:
On Daytona International Speedway : “I’m looking forward to going back. It’s going to be a real competitive race but as a team, I think we are better prepared this year. I’ll have a lot of fans in the stands and also watching on television, so I hope we can walk away with a really good run.”
On Pre-Season Testing: “It really went better than expected. We made a big change at the end of the year when we switched to mainly Dodges. We cut up our good Chevrolet speedway car and turned it into a Charger. We unloaded in December and both of our Chargers were fast and competitive. We’re hoping we’ll unload a little faster this week.”
On The Move To Dodge: “We’re excited about our move to Dodge practically full-time. We had some real fast hot rods last year and it really helped perpetrate the move. We have a great engine program lined up for the season and we hope to take Dodge to victory lane a bunch this year.”
On Drafting: “It’s crazy. It’s also a lot of fun too. It’s really hard to explain the draft because it’s something you have to experience for yourself. You really have to trust the people you draft with. One wrong move and you could be watching the rest of the race from the garage area. Both of our cars were strong in the draft, so I’m not apprehensive if we find ourselves in the thick of the pack.”
On The Approaching Season: “We’re looking forward to 2009. I really think this is our year to be in great position to win the ARCA RE/MAX Series championship. While the championship is the bigger goal, we want to win races too. We came so close a lot in 2008 but we just never could seal the deal. We’re looking to change that in 2009. I’m really proud of all my guys on the team. They have spent the off-season working their tails off to give me better cars than last year. They want to win the battles this year but they also want to win the war. I don’t plan to let them down.”
Sheltra Motorsports, Daytona International Speedway Pre-Race Quotes: Grace Sheltra, owner of the No. 60 Ferguson Pipe Enterprises-Quality Turf of Okeechobee, Inc. Dodge
On Daytona: “We’ve been waiting to get back to Daytona since our success at the test. The entire team has been working hard to get the cars even better since December. I really think we have a good chance to win the race this weekend, we just need a little luck. The team is more focused than ever and I’m looking forward to seeing how it will all unfold.”
On The Move To Dodge: “It’s no secret that we enjoyed our success with the Dodge Charger last year. As a team we just felt it was in our best interest to make the switch for the 2009 season. I don’t think it will take long to see it really was the right move.”
On The Approaching Season: “The team continues to improve each and every year. We’ve put a lot of empathize that the momentum the team carried in 2008 will rollover to this year. The run for the championship isn’t going to be easy but we’ve never gone down without a fight and we won’t this year either. We hope to conquer all the battles this year and be hoisting the championship trophy at year’s end.”
PRIOR RESULTS:
Patrick Sheltra, Daytona International Speedway ARCA Performance Record:
Date Event Start Finish Laps Status
02/08 ARCA 200 at Daytona 26 15 79/80 Running
The Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona (80 laps/200 miles) is the first of 22 events on the 2009 ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule. The 46th ARCA race held at Daytona is a three-day show. Practice begins Thursday, February 5 with a five hour practice session planned from 12:00-5:00 p.m. ARCA pole qualifying is set for Friday, February 6 slated to begin at 12:00 p.m. A one hour and five minute final practice session is etched in on Friday evening from 5:10pm-6:15 p.m. The event will take the green flag on Saturday, February 7 shortly after 4:00 p.m. The race will be televised live on SPEED with additional race coverage including live timing and scoring and radio broadcast through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com. All times are local.
Fast Links:
Driver / Team: Patrick Sheltra on the web: PatrickSheltra.com
Sanction: ARCA RE/MAX Series: ARCARacing.com
About Sheltra Motorsports:
Sheltra Motorsports (sheltramotorsports.com) is a three-tier Motorsports operation consisting of dirt and asphalt competition. Patrick Sheltra, a 22-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 .
###
TEAM COMMUNICATIONS CONTACT:
NAME: Chris Knight, Sheltra Motorsports
PHONE: 239.834.9797 or 239.214.1083
EMAIL: chris@patricksheltra.com