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

Topics:  Patrick Sheltra, Racing for Wildlife 200

Chris Knight
Sheltra Motorsports
June 9, 2010

Patrick Sheltra, No. 60 Recycling Services / Ferguson Pipe Toyota Camry; Racing for Wildlife 200 Fast Facts

ARCA Racing Series Race No. 8, Racing for Wildlife 200 Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, Michigan

Race Information: Event: Racing for Wildlife 200; Friday, June 11 at 5:15 p.m. Local Time Track: Michigan International Speedway Qualifying: Thursday, June 10, at 3:00 p.m. Local Time; Track Length: 2.0-mile paved-oval.

Last Time Out; Pocono Raceway: In his eighth ARCA Racing Series start at the track nicknamed “The Tricky Triangle”, Patrick Sheltra and the Sheltra Motorsports team were able to bounce back from a flat tire early in the race to finish fourth in the Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 200. Green flag pit stops for a majority of the field also removed the Mooresville, North Carolina team from the lead lap. Thankfully, the team would be rewarded with the Aaron’s Lucky Dog which put them back on the lead circuit. Unable to recoup from starting at the tail end of the longest line for being the beneficiary of the free pass, Sheltra and company settled for fourth notching their seventh consecutive top-10 finish in 2010.

Heading Back To The Motor City: For the fifth time in his ARCA Racing Series career, Patrick Sheltra returns to Michigan International Speedway looking to boast an impressive eight top-10 finishes in eight races. Previously at the two-mile oval, Sheltra has amassed a career best finish of sixth occurring in June of 2008 after starting 19th.

Sheltra Tested; Team Approved: The Jon Wolfe-led Sheltra Motorsports organization participated in an open test at Michigan International Speedway last month with very satisfying results. The team brought a new Toyota Camry purchased during the off-season and the purchase paid off. After posting the third position in the morning practice session, the team stepped it up a notch in the afternoon run to secure the second-fastest time overall in the eight hour test.

Moving Forward Again: For also the fifth time in his ARCA career and third time this season, 24-year old Patrick Sheltra will pilot a Toyota Camry in Friday’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. Most recently, Sheltra posted his fourth top-five finish of the season by placing fourth at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway last Saturday. 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.

Kitchens In The House: Former NASCAR driver Jimmy Kitchens will take the role as spotter for Patrick Sheltra in Friday’s Racing for Wildlife 200. Kitchens, who spots for Stewart-Haas Racing driver Ryan Newman in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) is substituting for normal companion spotter Jason Jarrett, who will be in Kentucky with his full-time team Germain Racing this weekend. Kitchens spotted for Sheltra last weekend at Pocono and guided the pilot to his fourth top-five run of 2010.

Point’s Check: Seven races down, 13 to go, Sheltra with the guidance of crew chief Jon Wolfe sits first in the ARCA Racing Series championship standings accumulating 1665 points and 25 markers ahead of second-place Justin Marks. Sheltra also holds a 95 point gap from third place competitor Mikey Kile. 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 for the second consecutive race after sharing the top-spot with Parker Kligerman for one race (Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway) in 2009.

Nice Stats: By posting his seventh top-10 finish of the season at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway last weekend, Sheltra remains the only ARCA Racing Series driver to finish inside the top-10 in all seven 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, an eighth in the Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care at Toledo Speedway and most recently a fourth place run in the Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 200.

Hanging With The Kid’s Again: Before the Racing for Wildlife 200, Sheltra and a large group of the starting field will participate in the annual MIS Cares day at Michigan International Speedway. Each year, the track hosts children from various charities including Make-A-Wish of Michigan and DeVos Children's hospital during the June event weekend. Sheltra will sign autographs and converse with the kids starting at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, June 11.

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.

Patrick Sheltra ARCA Career At-A-Glance: Entering Michigan, Sheltra has 74 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 14 top-fives and posted 29 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, Michigan International Speedway Pre-Race Quotes: Patrick Sheltra, driver of the No. 60 Recycling Services / Ferguson Pipe Toyota Camry

On Pocono Raceway: “We had some bad luck at the start of the race, but in typical Sheltra Motorsports fashion we were able to bounce back with another solid finish. I’m so proud of the team and was happy to get another top-10 finish at one of my favorite ARCA tracks.”

On Michigan International Speedway: “Michigan is a very forgiving track. It’s a place where if you make a mistake, it’s wide enough where most of the time you are able to recover. The track though is hard on your equipment. So if you are able to keep your equipment in-check and keep your fenders clean, you’re virtually guaranteed a good run.”

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 this weekend.”

On The Team’s Toyota Program In 2010: “It’s been a real pleasure to work with Triad and the Toyota folks this season. We had some bad luck with them last year at Michigan and Rockingham but this year I’ve personally experienced why the manufacturer is so popular in the ARCA Racing Series. There is no doubt in my mind that our team aligning with Toyota and Triad has enhanced our performance on the bigger tracks in 2010.”

On Points: “We’re not planning on relinquishing the point’s lead back to anyone but Justin (Marks) and his Win-Tron Racing team have been very strong this season. There are a couple other guys who are having some good runs that really could sneak up and join our fight for the early race to the championship. I would like to say it’s too early to start worrying about the point’s, but the minute you stop worrying is the minute you find yourself trying to play catch-up. We can’t control everything that happens on the race track, we just need to keep digging and perform like we have been all season long.”

Sheltra Motorsports, Michigan International Speedway Pre-Race Quotes: Jon Wolfe, crew chief of the No. 60 Recycling Services / Ferguson Pipe Toyota Camry

On Michigan International Speedway: “The track at Michigan is very dependent, so starting up front is very important. Also, handling is crucial; you can pass cars if you handle well. Big horsepower is definitely a must.”

On The Michigan International Speedway Test Two Weeks Ago: “Our test was the best so far this year. We unloaded well and were able to fine tune and try new things from there. I really feel like it will be our race to lose, we have so much momentum and confidence right now that we just know that winning is right around the corner.”

On The Advantage That Toyota May Have Over The Other Manufacturers At Michigan: “There is no denying that the Toyota’s are making awesome horsepower and Triad is delivering that to us. We are maybe still a tick behind finding the right balance with the Camry body, but each time out we gain a little more.”

On The Success Of Seven Consecutive Top-10 Finishes In 2010: “Chemistry. Our team has it. We don’t have any drama, fighting or questioning of what the mission is. We are 100 percent committed to Patrick (Sheltra) and the whole Sheltra family. We plan to keep our streak alive on Friday at Michigan.”

On What It Would Mean To Win At Michigan: “We have a void right now, winning will fill that void. Being consistent and being in position to win is what we have been doing, but we need to close the deal. This sport is about winning and we are hungry, this could be our week.”

Sheltra Motorsports, Michigan International Speedway Pre-Race Quotes: Grace Sheltra, owner of the No. 60 Recycling Services / Ferguson Pipe Toyota Camry

On Pocono Raceway: “Words cannot describe the emotions that Pocono brought to the team last weekend. We had some highs and lows but in the end we were on the positive side and were able to secure another great finish. Teamwork wins and I think we proved that last weekend.”

On Michigan International Speedway: “Michigan is a fun race track. It’s a very wide track which will ultimately fits to Patrick’s driving style. The team is excited about the race on Friday after the test a couple weeks ago and I think we could easily find ourselves celebrating with our first win of the year this weekend.”

On The 2010 Season Thusfar: “We’ve been in the hunt to win a couple races this year but certain obstacles have kept us from checking that off our list this season. Other than that, it’s been a nearly flawless season so far. The team has really gone the extra mile to make sure we are competitive from the moment we unload off the hauler. Patrick seems more focused this year based on the results we’re having. All around, we’re having a great year and if things continue we should be the one to beat for the championship. On the flip side, we’re hoping to bring some more marketing partners on-board with our race team and hopefully plan to make some announcements soon.”

PRIOR RESULTS:

Patrick Sheltra, Michigan Int’l Speedway Prior ARCA Performance Record:

The Racing for Wildlife 200 (100 laps / 200 miles) is the eighth of 20 events on the 2010 ARCA Racing Series schedule. The 29th ARCA race at Michigan International Speedway is a two-day show. Practice begins Thursday, June 10 with a two hour practice session planned from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying is set for later in the day slated to begin at 3:00 p.m. The event will take the green flag on Friday, June 11 shortly after 5:00 p.m. The event will air live on SPEED. Additional race coverage including live timing and scoring throughout the week will be available through the BAS Racing Network in conjunction with 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.

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