Patrick Sheltra, No. 60 Recycling Services Toyota Camry Pocono ARCA Fast Facts

Topics:  Patrick Sheltra, Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 200

Chris Knight
Sheltra Motorsports
June 3, 2010

Patrick Sheltra, No. 60 Recycling Services-Ferguson Pipe Toyota Camry, Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 200 Fast Facts

ARCA Racing Series Race No. 7, Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 200, Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, Long Pond, Pennsylvania

Race Information: Event: Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 200, Saturday, June 5 at 1:00 p.m. Local Time Track: Pocono (Pa.) Raceway Qualifying: Friday, June 4, at 1:45 p.m. Local Time; Track Length: 2.5-mile paved-triangle.

Last Time Out; Toledo Speedway: In his sixth race of the 2010 ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards, Patrick Sheltra along with his Sheltra Motorsports team were able to keep their top-10 streak alive with an eighth place run in the Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care. Sheltra qualified a distant 18th but after charging through the field and into the top-10, Sheltra would have to rebound from a mid-race spin to collect his fourth top-10 at the half-mile short track. The impressive recovery awarded Sheltra and his posse with the ARCA point’s lead by 10 markers after six races.

Returning Back To The Long Pond: The Indiantown, Florida native will make his eighth start at the popular triangle race course and aim for his second top-five finish this weekend. In his previous seven efforts, Sheltra has acquired a track best of third last June. Qualifying though has not been a downfall for the popular driver as Sheltra has nailed five top-15 qualifying runs including a track best of eighth in the spring race of this year.

Moving Forward Again: For just the fourth time in his ARCA career, 24-year old Patrick Sheltra will pilot a Toyota Camry in Saturday’s contest. Sheltra competed under the Japanese banner at Texas Motor Speedway in April where Sheltra revived himself from being collected in an early race incident to score a solid seventh place finish. Last season under the guidance of NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship organization Germain Racing, Sheltra hoisted a Camry at Michigan International Speedway and at the season-finale at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway.

Testing, Testing, 123….: After finishing eighth at Toledo Speedway in the most recent ARCA event, the Sheltra Motorsports team took a much-deserved day off on Monday before making the hour trip to Michigan International Speedway on Tuesday, June 25 for an open-test in preparation for next Friday’s Racing for Wildlife 200. Sheltra armed with a Toyota Camry posted the third fastest time in the morning session and improved to record the second fastest effort in the afternoon. Overall, the Sheltra Motorsports team placed second during the eight-hour practice session.

Hanging With The Kid’s: Before the Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 200, Sheltra and a large group of the starting field will participate in the third annual Pocono Raceway “Kids Day” event. The event is free to kids attending the ARCA event with their families. Sheltra will sign autographs and converse with the kids from 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. on Saturday June 5.

Marketing Partnerships Still Available: Multiple cost-effective marketing partnership packages are still available for the 2010 ARCA Racing Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series seasons for Patrick Sheltra. Let Sheltra Motorsports show you how to find victory lane in more ways than one! For additional information on how to be apart of our winning organization, please contact marketing@patricksheltra.com.

Point’s Check: Six races down, 14 to go, Sheltra with the guidance of crew chief Jon Wolfe sits first in the ARCA Racing Series championship standings accumulating 1455 points and just 10 markers ahead of second-place Justin Marks. Sheltra holds a slim 65 point margin from third place competitor Steve Arpin. Mother and car owner Grace Sheltra also controls the first position in the ARS car owner standings. Together both Sheltra’s lead their prospective positions in point’s solely on their own after sharing the top-spot with Parker Kligerman for one race in 2009.

Sheltra’s Covered In Special Point Standings Too: In addition to controlling the ARCA Racing Series championship car owner leader entering the seventh race of the year this weekend at Pocono, Sheltra Motorsports also leads the ARCA “special points” Superspeedway Challenge sector. Car owner Grace Sheltra leads Kevin Cywinski (No. 32) by a 50-point gap entering this weekend festivities. Patrick Sheltra leads three categories of the “special points” sections as well. Currently, “Mr. Showtime” is first in the CGS Imaging Hard Charger, Racing Electronics Lighting Challenge and the Fast Track High Performance Driving School award.

Nice Stats: By posting his sixth top-10 finish of the season at Toledo (Oh.) Speedway two weeks ago, Sheltra remains the only ARCA Racing Series driver to finish inside the top-10 in all six races thus far in 2010. Sheltra kicked off his strongest start to an ARCA season with a fifth place performance at Daytona, a 10th place performance at Palm Beach, a fourth place run at Salem Speedway, a seventh place outing at Texas Motor Speedway, his season-best second at ‘Dega and an eighth in the Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care.

Patrick Sheltra ARCA Career At-A-Glance: Entering Pocono, Sheltra has 73 ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards starts to his credit with one career victory at Salem (Ind.) Speedway (April 2009). During his ARCA tenure, Sheltra has accumulated 13 top-fives and posted 28 top-10 finishes. A third place qualifying effort at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway (April 2009) is Sheltra’s best time trials efforts to date. He has controlled the ARCA field six times for 148 laps.

Are You In The Know?: Patrick Sheltra and Sheltra Motorsports are proud to be apart of the Facebook and Twitter cravings. If you have an account, join our club as the Sheltra Motorsports team drives towards winning the 2010 ARCA Racing Series championship.

Vote Him Your Favorite Driver: Race fans can vote Patrick Sheltra as the 2010 ARCA Racing 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 Racing Series driver. The winner will be announced at the ARCA Racing 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, Pocono Raceway Pre-Race Quotes: Patrick Sheltra, driver of the No. 60 Recycling Services-Ferguson Pipe Toyota Camry

On Toledo Speedway: “Fortunately, we had a much better outing at Toledo Speedway two weeks ago then we did last year. We struggled with the handling of our Dodge Charger throughout the weekend but fierce determination by the Sheltra Motorsports team allowed us to win the war and we are able to score another top-10 finish.”

On Pocono Raceway: “Oh, man. Pocono here we come. Pocono Raceway is such a unique race track and I truly learn something new every time I race there. We had a strong third place run there last June and I know that we are capable of duplicating that or even posting our first win of the season on Saturday afternoon.”

On Michigan International Speedway Test: “I was extremely satisfied with the Michigan International Speedway test. Jon (Wolfe, crew chief) was able to give me a great handling car from the moment we unloaded and I think we showed the competition that we’re going to be a threat next weekend. I’m really looking forward to the next two weeks.”

On Your Memorial Day Commentary: “I was just speaking from the heart. We received a lot of feedback from the fans and other active and honorably discharged members of the Armed Forces. We’re focused on saluting the troops better than we have before for the rest of the 2010 season. We’re opening ideas to the public and hopefully we’ll come up with a way to recognize the troops every day and not just on Holidays.”

On Points: “We really dug into the point’s leaders over the past two races and with Justin (Marks) misfortune at Toledo, we were able to sneak past him and grab the lead. Obviously, we don’t want to return it back to anyone but it’s still really early in the season and a lot can happen. We’re just going to keep doing what we’ve been doing and hopefully we can stretch our lead. One way or another, I have a feeling that the championship is going to come down to the last race of the year.”

Sheltra Motorsports, Pocono Raceway Pre-Race Quotes: Jon Wolfe, crew chief of the No. 60 Recycling Services-Ferguson Pipe Toyota Camry

On Pocono Raceway: “I truly feel really good about Pocono, Patrick and I both love this racetrack. The part that concerns me is we are taking Sheltra Motorsports chassis No. 13 which we have switched from a Dodge to a Toyota and have not had time to test it or shakedown. On the plus die, we have a great group of dedicated guys that will strive to make sure it is prepared right.”

On Describing Pocono Raceway: “Pocono is like a real fast road course without any right hand turns. The corners are so different. You can be great in turn one and terrible in turn three. To me the big key is getting your car to have good exit speed, the straightaway is so long that you really need that momentum off the corner.”

On The Key To Winning At Pocono: “I think the key to winning at Pocono is several different things, mostly because the track is so challenging. First your driver must like the track. Second, you must have a well balanced car that handles well in the three different corners. Third, lots of horsepower, a massive straightaway means big horsepower. Oh, did I mention fuel mileage? That always comes into the picture.”

On The First Six Races Of The 2010 Season: “From where this team has come from since January. I am very proud of our progress. Most people do not realize just how bad in shape this team was when we moved it to Mooresville (North Carolina). It mostly consisted of a speedway car and a bunch of wrecked and worn out cars and parts. Although we have not notched a win yet, I know it is right around the corner. This group of guys are just awesome and bust their butts every day to make sure that we are a threat each week.”

On His Relationship With Driver Patrick Sheltra: “Patrick and I have made a great relationship; I think it is a mutual respect and admiration thing. I admire his ability behind the wheel and I think he admires my ability to keep this team running smoothly. We have become good friends away from the track also, which helps us bond and understand each other. I believe that one thing that Patrick was in need of was someone to help him dissect the cars and understand the mechanics. Which in turns helps me understand his feedback and be able to adjust the cars for better performance.”

Sheltra Motorsports, Pocono Raceway Pre-Race Quotes: Grace Sheltra, owner of the No. 60 Recycling Services-Ferguson Pipe Toyota Camry

On Toledo Speedway: “Toledo was no easy task. However, I never lost the faith in the Sheltra Motorsports team or Patrick because I knew they would pull through. Despite the hiccups we faced, I believed we learned a lot and when we come back in September, we’ll be a lot better and hope for another short track win!”

On Pocono Raceway: “Pocono is a track that is completely different than any other track we race on but Patrick loves it. It’s incredibly fast with tight corners and a super long straightaway. It’s a place that keeps you on the edge of your seat whether you are sitting in the stands or enjoying the race from home. Nonetheless, we’re confident in the ability of our team and feel we have a shot at scoring our first win of the year on Saturday!”

On Being First In The Point Standings: “A lot of hard work has enabled Sheltra Motorsports to be where we are at right now. We’re going to keep digging and hope we can strengthen our lead as the season strolls on. It’s a little different for us this time around because we hold the title exclusively. We could not be where we are today with the help and support of so many people. We’re going to try and not let them down.”

PRIOR RESULTS:

Patrick Sheltra, Pocono Raceway Prior ARCA Performance Record:

The Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 200 (80 laps / 200 miles) is the seventh of 20 events on the 2010 ARCA Racing Series schedule. The 50th ARCA race at Pocono Raceway is a two-day show. Practice begins Friday, June 4 with an hour and forty minute practice session planned from 10:15 a.m. - 11:55 a.m. Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying is set for later in the day slated to begin at 1:45 p.m. The event will take the green flag on Saturday, June 5 shortly after 1:00 p.m. The event will be tape-delayed on SPEED and will air at 4:00 p.m. Saturday afternoon. The race however 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

Sanction: ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards: 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 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