ARCA Point’s Leader Patrick Sheltra Sixth In Lone Practice Session At Pocono Despite Minor Setback

Topics:  Patrick Sheltra, Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 200

Chris Knight
Sheltra Motorsports
June 4, 2010

LONG POND, Pennsylvania (June 4, 2010) - - Current ARCA Racing Series (ARS) point’s leader Patrick Sheltra only turned six laps in Friday morning’s practice session at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway but the six laps were competitive enough to give his Sheltra Motorsports a boost for the remainder of the weekend despite a minor setback.

Sheltra in the No. 60 Recycling Services-Ferguson Pipe Toyota Camry was one of the first drivers to tackle the track nicknamed “the tricky triangle” for the short hour and forty minute practice session. Sheltra quickly shot up to second on the rundown before after his second trip out reported to his crew that he felt had a problem in his Grace Sheltra owned automobile.

Sheltra’s intuition turned out to be dead on as upon a complete inspection of the vehicle by the team diagnosed a hole in the fuel line, a similar problem that the Indiantown, Florida native has had twice in his ARCA career including here at Pocono.

A gallant effort by the Jon Wolfe-led operation resulted in a complete fix of the situation. Sheltra however was unable to return to the 2.5-mile triangle before the conclusion of practice. The performance though was good enough to land Sheltra sixth on the overall rundown of the 34 cars who took time with Sheltra maneuvering his Japanese nameplate around the facility in 55.223 seconds at 162.976 miles per hour.

“We’re good,” said Sheltra, who holds a 10-point margin between he and second place competitor Justin Marks heading into tomorrow’s race. “The car was strong right off the bat but it didn’t take long before I had that feeling that something was wrong. We played it smart and took our time to find the problem, so I’m not worried about the rest of the weekend.”

Sheltra continued, “We weren’t real sure how this car was going to be because we changed it from a Dodge to a Toyota during the off-season but it was evident when we went on the track Friday morning, we have a hot rod. We didn’t have a chance to make a mock qualifying run and we still landed sixth, so I’m looking forward to seeing what the rest of the day brings.”

Justin Marks and Steve Arpin, Sheltra’s closest competition in the race to the championship posted the 12th and 14th fastest times respectively.

The four year ARCA pro will make his eighth start at the track tomorrow hoping to retain the coveted point’s lead while taking his Mooresville, North Carolina based Sheltra Motorsports team to victory lane for the second time since the team’s inception. Sheltra is also aiming for an impressive seven consecutive top-10 finishes in the series’ first seven races run this season.

39 ARCA Racing Series cars are on the grounds at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway this weekend with Saturday’s Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 200 marking the 50th time that the cars and stars of the ARCA division will take the green flag. Before the start of the seventh race of the 2010 season, Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying is on deck with Sheltra scheduled to roll off 10th beginning at 1:45 p.m. Eastern.

Cost-effective marketing partnerships are still available for Pocono (Pa.) Raceway this weekend and for the remainder of the 2010 ARCA Racing Series season. For additional information, please contact marketing@patricksheltra.com.

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.

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.

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.

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