Patrick Sheltra, No. 60 Buffalo Wings & Rings Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS, ARCA RE/MAX 200 by Federated Car Care & Bell Tire Fast Facts

Topics:  Patrick Sheltra, ARCA RE/MAX 200

Chris Knight
Sheltra Motorsports
September 3, 2009

ARCA RE/MAX Series Race No. 16, ARCA RE/MAX 200 by Federated Car Care & Bell Tire, Toledo Speedway, Toledo, Ohio

Race Information: Event: ARCA RE/MAX 200 by Federated Car Care & Bell Tire, Friday, September 4 at 8:30 p.m. Local Time Track: Toledo Speedway Qualifying: Friday, September 4 at 5:00 p.m. Local Time; Track Length: .5-mile paved-oval.

Chicagoland Recap: Patrick Sheltra captured his first career-top 10 finish at Chicagoland Speedway last weekend after wheeling his No. 60 Buffalo Wings & Rings Dodge Charger from his 15th place qualifying run to a solid ninth place finish. The finish was a personal best for Sheltra at the 1.5-mile oval in four attempts. The run propelled Sheltra from eighth to seventh in the ARCA RE/MAX Series championship standings.

Returning To The Buckeye State: For the sixth time in his ARCA RE/MAX Series, Patrick Sheltra will take the green flag at Toledo Speedway Friday night. In five prior efforts at the Northern Ohio short track, Sheltra has maneuvered two top-five finishes including a runner-up finish last May followed up by a fourth place run in the season finale last October. Additionally, Sheltra posted an eighth place finish at Toledo Speedway in this same event two years ago. Sheltra’s average finishing position is 14th at ARCA’s home-town facility.

Hometown Test: On Wednesday, Sheltra and members of his Sheltra Motorsports clan participated in a private test at Kentucky Motor Speedway shaking down the team’s No. 60 Buffalo Wings & Rings Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS. Oddly enough, the track has very similar characteristics to Toledo Speedway. The Whitesville, Kentucky based short track is just three minutes from the team’s shop.

Double Dose: Friday’s ARCA RE/MAX 200 by Federated Car Care & Bell Tire is the first of two races in three days for the ARCA RE/MAX Series with the teams headed back to Illinois for Monday’s Southern Illinois 100 at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds. Sheltra will look to better his second place finish on the dirt from 2008 and garnish his team with another win in his 63rd career ARCA start.

Welcome Aboard: Sheltra Motorsports welcomes Ryan Chism to the team’s fleet beginning with Friday’s ARCA RE/MAX 200 by Federated Car Care & Bell Tire at Toledo Speedway. Chism, a native of North Carolina joins the team after prior positions with Andy Belmont Racing (ABR) and Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR) in the ARCA RE/MAX Series.

Autographs Anyone?: After his duties at the track on Friday, Sheltra will participate in pre-race activities at the Toledo Speedway participating in an on-track autograph session from 6:45 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. local time.

The Coach Still Coaching: Former NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Champion Ted Musgrave will continue to serve as the driving coach for the 23-year old Sheltra this weekend and the remainder of the 2009 racing season. Musgrave, a native of Franklin, Wisconsin has over 18 years of experience combined between the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS), NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS).

NASCAR Nationwide Series Plans To Be Announced Soon: Sheltra Motorsports will announce their plans for the remainder of the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) season in the near future. Sheltra made his third career NNS start and first of the season last month at Daytona International Speedway driving the No. 81 D.H. Griffin-Quality Turf Dodge Charger for MacDonald Motorsports.

Watcha Haulin?: Crew Chief John Hayden has elected to use Sheltra Motorsports Chassis No. 4 this weekend at Toledo Speedway. This is the same piece the team competed with at Berlin Raceway in July. It’s also responsible for Sheltra’s first career top-five run, a fourth at Berlin Raceway in 2007. The former Robert Yates Racing (RYR) piece has three top-10 finishes with two straight top-10 finishes on the dirt two years ago. The Ford Fusion turned Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS has finished inside the top-20 in all but one of its eight previous events. Chassis number 5 will serve as the team’s back-up automobile. That former Joe Gibbs Racing entry is the same automobile that Sheltra rocketed to his first victory at Salem Speedway in April.

Points Check: After round 15 on the 2009 ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule, Patrick Sheltra sits seventh in the championship standings accumulating 3205 points. Just 135 points separate Sheltra from the fourth position. The Indiantown, Florida native is 110 markers from re-entering the top-five. Car owner Grace Sheltra sits eighth in the car owner standings.

Patrick Sheltra ARCA Career At-A-Glance: Entering Toledo, Sheltra has 61 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.

Keeping The Streak Alive: For 38 consecutive races, Sheltra Motorsports has fielded a car for Patrick Sheltra that run in the top-10 (at one point or another) for all events reverting back to the 2007 ARCA RE/MAX 250 at Talladega Superspeedway. The team added their 38th race at the Chicagoland Speedway by finishing ninth in last Friday’s Ansell Cut Protection 150. During this period, the team has amassed one win, eight top-fives and 17 top-10 finishes. The team’s best qualifying effort occurred at Rockingham Speedway in April where Sheltra awarded himself with a career best run of third. The team has led five races at Cayuga Motor Speedway (2008), Kansas Speedway (2008), Rockingham Speedway (2009), Salem Speedway (2009) and Talladega Superspeedway (2008) for a total of 109 laps.

You Can Be Apart Of 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 driver 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 HuntingExtravangza.com for more details.

This Is The People’s Car: In an effort to bring race fans closer to the Sheltra Motorsports team, the team is full throttle with their Peoples Car promotion. Race fans will have the opportunity to have their name plastered on the No. 60 for the rest 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 (minus lodging expenses) to the 2009 ARCA RE/MAX Series season finale at Rockingham Speedway. The lucky fan will be an honorary member of the Sheltra Motorsports team plus enjoy a few little surprises the team has spiced up for the lucky winner. Browse PatrickSheltra.com or ThePeoplesCars.com for all the details.

Vote Him Your Favorite Driver: Race fans can vote Patrick Sheltra as the 2009 ARCA RE/MAX Series most popular driver by visiting ARCANation.com. From now until the end of the season, race fans can click on to ARCA’s official fan-related web site and vote once a day for their favorite ARCA RE/MAX Series driver. The winner will be announced at the ARCA RE/MAX Series Championship Awards Banquet in Covington, Kentucky this December. If you’re an ARCA Nation member your vote counts twice per day for one driver. If you’re a non-ARCA Nation member, your vote counts only once. Sign up today at ARCANation.com and vote for Patrick Sheltra!

Sheltra Motorsports, Toledo Speedway Pre-Race Quotes: Patrick Sheltra, driver of the No. 60 Buffalo Wings & Rings Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS:

On Chicagoland Speedway: “We had a good car but the handling played a role in preventing us from gaining another top-five finish. The good news out of the race is we kind of treated this as a test for the upcoming Kansas Speedway race. We know what we need to do to the car, so I think our final intermediate track will be one to remember.”

On Toledo Speedway: “Toledo Speedway is a track I’ve enjoyed some great success at. We’re going there this weekend looking for a serious rebound after a disastrous race in the Spring. I’m still frustrated about getting dumped in the race. The test at Kentucky Motor Speedway should aid us in unloading a fast hot road on Friday.”

On Two Races In Three Days: “The schedule is very different in the ARCA RE/MAX Series. We have so much down time at the beginning of the year and the final stretch of races is absolutely jammed pack. The good thing is if you have a race that’s not up to the team’s par you can’t worry about it too much because you have to get ready for the next one. We’ve run good at Toledo and DuQuoin in the past and we don’t expect that to change this long Holiday weekend.”

On The Key To Winning At Toledo: “A good handing racecar is crucial to success at Toledo Speedway. You can get away with beating and banging at Toledo Speedway and still run up front. The crucial piece is being able to nail the throttle off the corners and getting that bite. I had a beaten up car back here in 2007 but the car was maneuvering so well I just came right back through the field and finished eighth.”

On The Points Gain: “We’ve had two straight top-10 finishes and it’s helped us tremendously in the points. We know that the championship is out of the picture but we still have our eyes set on finishing in the top-five. It’s doable and that’s what we are gunning for.”

Sheltra Motorsports, Toledo Speedway Pre-Race Quotes: Grace Sheltra, owner of the No. 60 Buffalo Wings & Rings Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS:

On Chicagoland Speedway: “It was a good day for the Sheltra Motorsports team. Patrick was able when his car allowed it to carry that high line around Chicagoland Speedway and it gained some attention. Based on our performance at Chicagoland, the changes should enable us to win our first speedway track at Kansas next month.”

On Toledo Speedway: “It’s a neat short track but our last run there wasn’t what we had hoped for. The guys have been working on this car since Berlin making sure the handling is to Patrick’s liking. We only have a couple short track races left and I know Patrick wants to celebrate in victory lane again, so hopefully we’ll be able to do just that Friday night.”

On The Points Gain: “I’m not surprised but I’m welcoming it with open arms. We had this same climb last year but we just need to keep climbing. I’m proud of each and every one of the Sheltra Motorsports team members. Patrick is getting up on the wheel and Ted (Musgrave, driver coach) has been a great asset to helping this team turn the corner. We just need to keep it up and we should fall nicely into the top-five.”

PRIOR RESULTS:

Patrick Sheltra, Toledo Speedway Prior ARCA Performance Record:

The ARCA RE/MAX 200 by Federated Car Care & Bell Tire (200 laps / 100 miles) is the 16th of 21 events on the 2009 ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule. The 66th ARCA race at Toledo Speedway is a one-day show. Practice begins Friday, September 4 with an hour and a half practice session planned from 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying is set for later in the day slated to begin at 5:00 p.m. The event will take the green flag shortly after 8:30 p.m. Friday evening. The event will not be televised but the race will be broadcasted live 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

Marketing Partner: Buffalo Wings & Rings on the web: BuffaloWingsandRings.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 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 .

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