Patrick Sheltra Looks For Another Podium Finish At Pocono Raceway

Topics:  Patrick Sheltra, Pennsylvania ARCA 200

Chris Knight
Sheltra Motorsports
July 29, 2009

“Mr. Showtime Looking For First Speedway Win In Pocono Mountains”

LONG POND, Pennsylvania (July 29, 2009) - - After recording a personal-best third place finish at Pocono Raceway in June, ARCA RE/MAX Series veteran driver Patrick Sheltra returns to the 2.5-mile triangle looking for his second consecutive podium finish in Saturday’s Pennsylvania ARCA 200.

While finishing on the podium can rejuvenate any driver’s confidence and uplift the spirits of the team members, Sheltra hopes to climb the podium and grab his first career speedway win in his seventh career start at the Long Pond speedplant.

“I’m looking forward to going back to Pocono Raceway this weekend,” said Sheltra. “We had such an awesome run in June that I am hoping we can back up the performance with a similar run if not a win on Saturday afternoon.”

A rule change by ARCA RE/MAX Series officials in June had proposed the Sheltra Motorsports team to rethink their setup for the ARCA Pocono 200. ARCA officials ruled that teams would no longer be able to shift as the cars thunder down the straightway forcing the veteran team to strategize their car control and gear selection for the event. As far as Sheltra is concerned, the team coped with the change in stride.

Said Sheltra, “To be honest, we weren’t really sure what to expect on the rule change but we conquered it with passing colors. We’re going back with a very similar setup this weekend, so it should be another stellar weekend for the Buffalo Wings & Rings Racing team.”

He added, “We didn’t have an opportunity to qualify at Pocono in June because of weather, so I’m looking to see how we do this weekend. I’ve only had one top-10 starting spot before June and I really think we can put ourselves in the hunt for a top-five qualifying run on Friday afternoon.”

In April, Sheltra Motorsports hosted Scott Herman of this past season’s MTV’s Real World: Brooklyn at Talladega Superspeedway. Herman enjoyed himself so much that he has opted for another trip down memory lane with Sheltra Motorsports this weekend at Pocono. For Herman, the race is a little is closer to his current residence of New York City.

Herman is a native of Salem, New Hampshire and is a personal trainer, model and actor. He recently received the designation of having the “best abs on the East Coast”, and has been featured in Men’s Health magazine several times.

“Scott was a blast to hang out with in April and I’m glad that he is coming back for a second round this weekend,” added Sheltra. “We were running really good until we blew up at Talladega, so hopefully we give him the complete package or maybe even take him to victory lane.”

2005 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Ted Musgrave will continue his role as driver coach for the Indiantown, Florida native this weekend. In 20 starts at Pocono, Musgrave has five top-five finishes and six top-10 efforts including a second place finish in 1995 driving for Roush Fenway Racing. Musgrave and Sheltra utilized Berlin Raceway last weekend to get acquainted.

“I think having Ted on our side is really going to pay off,” offered Sheltra, the 23-year old driver phenom. “He has been up front and honest with everything from myself to our team and everything in between. His experience and success at Pocono should be an asset to us this weekend.”

Crew Chief John Hayden has elected to bring Sheltra chassis number 11 to Pocono Raceway this weekend. The primary machine will be the same Dodge that Sheltra competed with at Pocono Raceway in June. Additionally, the team wheeled this automobile in the Prairie Meadows 200 at Iowa Speedway earlier this month. The former Penske Racing automobile will be run for just the fifth time in Sheltra’s ARCA career. Chassis number 16 will serve as the team’s back-up automobile. That former Richard Childress Racing entry is a new addition to the team’s fleet. The Whitesville, Kentucky based team tested this Dodge Charger at Michigan International Speedway in May.

Entering Pocono, Sheltra has 58 ARCA RE/MAX Series starts to his credit with one career victory at Salem Speedway (April 2009). During his ARCA tenure, Sheltra has accumulated nine top-fives and posted 19 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 Pennsylvania ARCA 200 (80 laps / 200 miles) is the 13th of 21 events on the 2009 ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule. The 49th ARCA race at Pocono Raceway is a two-day show. The event will take the green flag on Saturday, August 1 shortly after 1:00 p.m. The event will be televised live on SPEED. Additional race coverage will be broadcasted 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 50 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