Point’s Leader Patrick Sheltra Second In ARCA Practice At Michigan

Topics:  Patrick Sheltra, Racing for Wildlife 200

Chris Knight
Sheltra Motorsports
June 10, 2010

BROOKLYN, Michigan (June 10, 2010) - - Current ARCA Racing Series (ARS) presented by RE/MAX and Menards point’s leader Patrick Sheltra mounted his best practice speed of the season Friday morning as the 24-year old rising star managed the second fastest time in the lone practice session leading into tomorrow’s Racing for Wildlife 200 at Michigan International Speedway (MIS).

Sheltra and crew chief Jon Wolfe credit the success of practice to the team’s determination plus the extra track time the Sheltra Motorsports team obtained during the open ARCA Racing Series test two weeks ago at MIS.

The Indiantown, Florida native was one of the first pilots to tackle the two-mile oval, which has gone through millions of dollars worth of renovation since ARCA’s last visit in 2009. Early on, Sheltra negotiated his Grace Sheltra-owned machine to the top of the scoring pylon. However, as the two-hour session progressed, the No. 60 Recycling Services / Toyota Camry slipped down the order as several of Sheltra’s competitors were posting lap times that were a tick quicker than Sheltra.

Under the guidance of Wolfe, the team made several chassis and shock adjustments before even making the move to construct a gear change, which the team mutually agreed upon.

In the final 20 minutes of practice, Sheltra went out and with the guidance of spotter Matt Roberts to make his initial mock qualifying run. After two laps, Sheltra was unhappy with the lap time which prompted the fourth year ARCA team to again take another stab at a pretend qualifying attempt.

Rolling out just five minutes from the conclusion of the lone practice session of the weekend, Sheltra busted off a lap of 39.052 seconds at 184.370 miles per hour improving the team’s position to second. Craig Goess, last weekend’s winner at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway ended as the session leader just .042 thousands of a second ahead of Sheltra.

On the cool down lap, Sheltra informed his team that the car was still a little “free” in the center of the corner but was extremely satisfied with the performance of his Toyota Camry. Sheltra’s second place run is a track-best for the driver nicknamed “Mr. Showtime”, and the best overall practice run for the Sheltra Motorsports operation since leading the ARCA Racing Series field last April at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in happy hour.

"We made two qualifying runs there at the end because we did not get what we were looking for out of the first one. The second outing was a lot better,” sounded Sheltra, who will make his fifth start at the track nestled in the lush Irish Hills of Southeastern Michigan Friday evening.

He continued, “We were a little tight when we went back out again, but we're going to compare our notes from the two runs and see what we can put together for the real deal. This No. 60 Recycling Services / Ferguson Pipe Toyota Camry has been real stout. It was strong at the test and it's very good here thus far. I think we'll be a threat for the pole later today and hopefully we can close out the weekend with our first win of the season tomorrow."

The family-owned Sheltra Motorsports team converted its speedway program from a Dodge last year to the powerful Japanese nameplate; Toyota Camry for the 2010 ARCA Racing Series season. The team’s automobile this weekend is a new chassis for Sheltra Motorsports after being acquired during the off-season.

42 teams took a practice lap around Michigan International Speedway Thursday morning which leads up to Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying which is locked for 3:00 p.m. this afternoon. Sheltra is scheduled to be the 12th driver to make his qualifying run in preparation for the eighth race of the 2010 season.

Justin Marks who is 25 points behind Sheltra in the ARCA Racing Series championship chase netted the 10th fastest time in practice, with Venturini Motorsports’ Mikey Kile, who is marred 95 markers behind in third place recorded the third fastest practice lap of the day.

Cost-effective marketing partnerships are still available for Michigan International Speedway this weekend and for the remainder of the 2010 ARCA Racing Series season. For additional information, please contact marketing@patricksheltra.com.

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.

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.

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