Patrick Sheltra Ready To Tame The Rock Again

Topics:  Patrick Sheltra, American 200

Chris Knight
Sheltra Motorsports
October 8, 2009

ROCKINGHAM, North Carolina (October 8, 2009) - - After finishing second in the Carolina 200 this past April, ARCA RE/MAX Series (ARS) veteran Patrick Sheltra returns to Rockingham Speedway this weekend looking to improve on the outing and end his season on a high note in Sunday’s ARCA RE/MAX American 200.

The run in April was impressive to say the least. From practicing fifth to qualifying a career best third and then to lead laps and finish a close second to eventual winner Sean Caisse, Sheltra sees Sunday’s season finale as a chance of picking up right where he left off.

There will however be one noticeable change for the Sheltra Motorsports team. Well, two if you put color into the mix. Sheltra’s No. 60 will sport the Toyota Camry model for the second time this year and Sheltra will sport a camouflage pink Buffalo Wings & Rings ride in their effort to promote Breast Cancer Awareness through the Kimmie Cares group.

“It’s a big weekend for us,” said Sheltra of Sunday’s race. “I’m glad to be back at “The Rock” and to drive a Pink racecar is unique and definitely something new for my career but it’s for a great cause so I’m all for it.”

The loss of a loved one to Breast Cancer hits close to home especially within the Sheltra Motorsports and Buffalo Wings & Rings tier as fellow team member and Buffalo Wings & Rings franchisee owner Leonard Ranieri tragically lost his wife, Eliza Ranieri last October to the disease. The team is racing in her honor this weekend at Rockingham Speedway.

“This is a special weekend for Leonard,” added Sheltra, who will make his third career start at Rockingham Speedway this weekend. “We’ve been working on this project since July and I think we’ve put together something that we’re all proud of all the way around. I’m racing for many reasons this weekend but I’m hoping that we can pull off a win for Leonard and Eliza on Sunday.”

The team’s car comes from Germain Racing through the Hattori Racing Enterprises outfit which saw success with April Rockingham winner Sean Caisse at the helm. The Whitesville, Kentucky operation purchased the car earlier in the season and ran the Japanese automaker at Michigan International Speedway in June but succumbed to engine failure while running in the top-five.

Sheltra said, “The car we finished second with at Rockingham in April was caught up in a wreck this year and it just wasn’t feasible to put it back together for this race when we knew that this Toyota Camry has the capabilities of taking our team back to victory lane.”

The 23-year old rising phenom added, “We’re hoping for a much better outing this weekend with our Toyota. The Germain Racing bunch has absolutely went out of their way to help us prepare this car for this weekend’s race and to see us return to victory lane. Mike (Abner, Germain Racing) will be on hand to assist us this weekend again with the car, so hopefully we can pick up right where we left off in April.”

Occupying the eighth position in the ARCA RE/MAX Series point standings with just one race remaining, Sheltra knows that his season has seen its highs and lows but he is focusing on trying to maneuver his family-owned team into the fifth position, which is just 110 points behind his current position.

“Realistically, we still have a shot at fifth,” said Sheltra. “We cannot afford to have anything go wrong this weekend. I need to be smart behind the wheel and stay out of trouble during the race and be there for the final 50 laps. That’s my goal. Hopefully if all the cards play out we can be sitting in a better position than when we started when the checkered flag falls.”

Following Sunday’s season finale, Sheltra will auction off the uniform donated by Awesome Racewear with the proceeds going to Kimmie Cares in Eliza Ranieri’s honor.

In his final NASCAR Nationwide Series race of the year at Homestead-Miami Speedway next month, Sheltra is gunning to donate $25,000 dollars to Kimmie Cares between the “Together We Can Make A Difference” bracelets and the uniform auction.

Entering Rockingham, Sheltra has 66 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 22 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 ARCA RE/MAX American 200 (200 laps / 200 miles) is the 21st of 21 events on the 2009 ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule. The fourth ARCA race held at Rockingham is a two-day show. Practice begins Saturday, October 10 with an hour and a half practice session planned from 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying is slated to begin at 2:00 p.m. The event will take the green flag on Sunday, October 11 shortly after 1:00 p.m. The race will be tape-delayed on SPEED. The event will be aired at 10:00 p.m. Sunday night. Live flag-to-flag weekend coverage will be available 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 49 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