Patrick Sheltra Ready For Lone Star State Invasion

Topics:  Patrick Sheltra

Chris Knight
Sheltra Motorsports
March 5, 2010

JUSTIN, Texas (March 5, 2010) - - On the heels of two top-10 finishes in-a-row following the most recent ARCA Racing Series event at Palm Beach (Fla.) International Raceway last weekend, Indiantown, Florida native Patrick Sheltra is shifting gears and preparing for a demanding test at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) on Tuesday, March 9.

The ARCA Racing Series is returning to the ultra-fast 1.5-mile speedway for the first time in 12 years but the 23-year old Sheltra will embrace the track centered in the “Lone Star” state for the first time in his racing career.

Sheltra, in his fourth season of ARCA competition has competed at similar intermediate tracks like Chicagoland Speedway, Kansas Speedway and Kentucky Speedway but he knows that TMS has the potential to bring a whole new kind of rattle to the program.

“Without a doubt, Texas might just be the fastest track that ARCA competes on,” said Sheltra, who sits a very competitive fourth in the championship standings after two races. “Sure, we top 200 miles per hour at Daytona and Talladega, but those are a very different scenario than what we’re anticipating on Tuesday. I’m expecting the track to be very fast which should lead to some impressive lap times which could set the tone to what we can expect when we return in April.”

Sheltra realizes though that with the speed will come some fierce racing which he is gladly hoping for when the Rattlesnake 150 takes the green flag on April 16 live on SPEED.

“No one wants to see a dull race – and we know last year, some of the best racing occurred on tracks similar to Texas. The competition will be intense because everyone wants to say that they won in ARCA’s return to Texas. I want to win at Texas though because I want one of those cowboy hats!”

And should “Mr. Showtime” master the field and pull into victory lane for his first career speedway victory, he knows exactly where’s going to put the legendary victory lane treasure. “If we win, that hat is not leaving the state – we’ll put it down in our ranch in Dryden.”

Speaking of Dryden, Sheltra is planning to make the hike to the isolated city following Tuesday’s test session. “I guess you can call me a part-time Texan,” Sheltra laughed. “You might as well. Our family spends a lot of time out there, which is about eight hours from the track. Texas is just a cool state, so to have the honor to be able to now race in the same state doesn’t hurt my feelings one bit.”

For the first time this season, Jon Wolfe, crew chief for Sheltra Motorsports will unload a Toyota Camry as the team’s primary manufacturer of choice for the test on Tuesday. The team is expected to use the Japanese nameplate for the fourth race of the season next month.

The No. 60 Toyota Camry is a new addition to the Sheltra Motorsports fleet after being acquired from Eddie Sharp Racing, the 2009 ARCA Racing Series championship team.

“We’re excited about this new hot rod,” Sheltra boasted. “Jon (Wolfe) and the guys have worked around the clock to get our new baby up and running. I’m anxious to see how she will roll on Tuesday.”

Sheltra has 69 ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards starts to his credit with one career victory at Salem Speedway (April 2009). During his ARCA tenure, Sheltra has accumulated 11 top-fives and posted 24 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.

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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 Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards (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 Mooresville, North Carolina.

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