Points Leader Patrick Sheltra Remembering Matt Hawkins Again At Iowa

Topics:  Patrick Sheltra, Prairie Meadows 200, Matt Hawkins

Chris Knight
Sheltra Motorsports
July 5, 2010

NEWTON, Iowa (July 5, 2010) - - ARCA Racing Series (ARS) presented by RE/MAX and Menards current points leader Patrick Sheltra returns to Iowa Speedway this weekend for Saturday night’s running of the Prairie Meadows 200 with a strict agenda.

While Sheltra, the Indiantown, Florida native is gunning towards his first ARCA win of the season and his ninth consecutive top-10 finish in nine races this season, Sheltra will continue to honor Matt Hawkins, a former racing colleague and Iowa Speedway ARCA winner.

Hawkins, who won at Iowa Speedway in his lone ARCA Racing Series start at the .875-mile paved facility in 2008, lost his life in February 2009 in an accidental gun-discharge incident. Sheltra remembered his friend and close racing colleague in last year’s Prairie Meadows 200 by carrying a decal on the b-post of his No. 60 Dodge Charger.

As the series returns to Iowa for their annual summer tradition, Sheltra is vowing to keep Hawkins’s spirit alive in the ARCA garage and at Iowa Speedway.

“When the ARCA Racing Series comes to Iowa, it’s hard not to think about Matt,” said the 24-year old Sheltra. “Matt was a friend to us all. He raced you clean and hard but also gave you respect on and off the racetrack. He came to Iowa and won in his first ARCA start that says a lot about his devotion he had to racing. He was a good person and I know he’ll be with us in spirit on Saturday night.”

Thanks to long-time decal supplier, DMC Graphics of Philpot, Kentucky, the Sheltra Motorsports brigade has over 50 “In Memory of Matt Hawkins” decals for this weekend’s competitors, ARCA officials and track personnel. The team will once again plaster the decal on the driver side b-post area.

Sheltra now sporting the role as both driver and owner will make his fourth start at the Rusty Wallace-designed speed plant Saturday night behind the wheel of the No. 60 Sheltra Motorsports Toyota Camry led by crew chief Jon Wolfe. Sheltra continues to lead the championship standings after eight races, 35 markers ahead of second-place contender Justin Marks.

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

Entering Iowa, Sheltra has 75 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 15 top-fives and posted 30 top-10 finishes. A third place qualifying effort at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway (April 2009) and Michigan International Speedway (June 2010) is Sheltra’s best time trials effort to date. He has controlled the ARCA field six times for 148 laps.

The Prairie Meadows 200 (200 laps / 175 miles) is the ninth of 20 events on the 2010 ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards schedule. The fifth ever ARCA race at Iowa Speedway is a one-day show. Practice begins Saturday, July 10 with an hour and thirty five minute practice session planned from 10:00 a.m. – 11:35 a.m. A final fifty minute session has been etched in from 1:00 p.m. – 1:50 p.m. Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying is slated to begin at 5:15 p.m. The event will take the green flag shortly after 8:00 p.m. The event will air live on SPEED. Additional race coverage including live timing and scoring and audio broadcasting throughout the day will be available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) presented by ARCA Nation online at arcaracing.com. All times are local (Central).

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

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About Sheltra Motorsports:

Sheltra Motorsports (sheltramotorsports.com) is a three-tier professional Motorsports organization consisting of dirt and asphalt competition. Patrick Sheltra, a 24-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. 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