Spotlight On Patrick Sheltra At Palm Beach

Topics:  Patrick Sheltra, Tire Kingdom 150

Chris Knight
Sheltra Motorsports
February 23, 2010

JUPITER, Florida (February 23, 2010) - - Indiantown, Florida native Patrick Sheltra cannot hide from being in the spotlight when the ARCA Racing Series (ARS) presented by RE/MAX and Menards enters Palm Beach (Fla.) International Raceway this weekend but Sheltra is prepared to stay focused for Saturday’s Tire Kingdom 150 presented by ModSpace.

For just the third time in his ARCA career, the 23-year old will compete on a road course and while he doesn’t consider himself a road racing expert by any means, the ARCA pro is approaching Saturday’s race with optimism.

“I’m ready for Saturday,” said Sheltra, who’s in his fourth year of ARCA competition. “This is an important race for us and we prepared to raise the bar and conquer the challenges and leave Palm Beach with a strong finish.”

Sheltra knows that Palm Beach will be different than any other ARCA event he has ever competed in though. With the track located just 15 minutes up the road from the small city of Indiantown, the stands are expected to be packed with “Sheltra Nation” hoping to the see their hero in contention for his second career ARS victory.

“It’s really cool to have a race literally in our backyard,” Sheltra sounded. “The outpour of support from fans and the local media has been incredible. I’m extremely appreciative of everyone’s support but I have to remain the job at hand on Saturday. I don’t want to disappoint my guys or our marketing partners – we’re here to win and look at the bigger picture.”

Much like his inaugural debut at New Jersey Motorsports Park in 2008, “Mr. Showtime” had the opportunity to test at the 11-turn, 2.034-mile design and FIA Grade II certified road course two days after finishing fifth in the ARCA season opener at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway earlier this month.

The test was successful despite some motor issues late in the day but the Sheltra Motorsports team led by crew chief Jon Wolfe along with Sheltra are confident about the car’s modifications for this weekend.

“The guys have worked really hard on the car since the test,” added Sheltra. “They installed several new parts and painted the car in a slick black which is a little different than our normal bright green and camouflage so hopefully the change in the paint scheme can bring us some extra luck.

The track is incredibly fast with some seriously tight corners. It’s going to take a driver who is easy on their equipment and uses their head the best that will be victorious this weekend. Without a doubt, we plan to be that car.”

With Sheltra’s superior top-five effort at Daytona, Sheltra locks fifth in the ARCA Racing Series point standings but with his four competitors ahead of him not entered for the second race of the season Sheltra will inherit the number one spot and doesn’t plan to relinquish the position.

"It's probably a little early in the season to be talking points, but someone's gotta be the leader out of Palm Beach, and I'd like to be that guy," said the pilot of the No. 60 Sheltra & Son Construction, Inc. Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS. "We've just hovered in the top-10 points over the last few years; it's time to step up and win this championship. We've got the team; I've got the experience, and we all want it bad.”

All About Flowers, American Concrete, Buffalo Wings & Rings, CAM 2 Blue Blood Racing Oil, Ferguson Pipe Enterprises and Recycling Services join the team as associate marketing partners in Saturday’s contest.

Entering Palm Beach, Sheltra has 68 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 23 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 Tire Kingdom 150 presented by ModSpace (75 laps / 150 miles) is the second of 20 events on the 2010 ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards schedule. The first ARCA race held at Palm Beach is a two day show. Practice begins Friday, February 26 with a three hour practice session planned from 11:30a.m.- 2:30 p.m. Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell is set for later in the day Friday, February 26 slated to begin at 4:00 p.m. The event will take the green flag on Saturday, February 27 shortly after 1:00 p.m. The race will not be televised but race coverage including live timing and scoring and radio broadcast will be available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com. All times are local.

For the latest on Patrick Sheltra, Sheltra Motorsports and marketing partnership opportunities please visit PatrickSheltra.com.

Join the official Patrick Sheltra fan page on Facebook by clicking here.

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