Engine Change Forces Patrick Sheltra To Start Weis Markets 125 From Rear Of The Field

Topics:  Patrick Sheltra, Weis Markets 125

Chris Knight
Sheltra Motorsports
July 30, 2010

LONG POND, Pennsylvania (July 30, 2010) - - ARCA Racing Series (ARS) presented by RE/MAX and Menards championship contender Patrick Sheltra qualified his No. 60 Recycling Services / Ferguson Pipe Toyota Camry 10th Friday afternoon at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway but will start Saturday’s Weis Markets 125 from the rear of the field after team officials opted to change the motor following the 24 year old’s qualification run.

Sheltra who was scheduled to roll off 37th in Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying maneuvered the 2.5-mile triangle of Pocono (Pa.) Raceway in 55.207 seconds amounting a speed of 162.023 miles per hour. However, immediately after taking the checkered flag during his time trials effort, Sheltra informed his team led by veteran crew chief Jon Wolfe that the motor didn’t feel right.

Upon further consultation, it was agreed upon by the managing officials at Sheltra Motorsports to pull the motor from the team’s Camry and replace it with a fresh one in time for the 11th installment of the 2010 ARCA season.

“We thought we might be having a problem after practice,” offered Sheltra, who despite his trouble qualified his automobile inside the top-10 for the fourth consecutive race at the track nicknamed, “The Tricky Triangle.”

The Indiantown, Florida native continued, “I had the pedal to the floor and that’s all she had (in qualifying). I didn’t feel comfortable and I know that one of our other Toyota competitors may have had a similar issue to what we were facing. We cannot afford to take any chances in the race, so to be better safe than sorry; we opted to go to the backup motor.”

ARCA rules states that any unapproved change(s) done to a racecar following qualifying forces the team to relinquish their original starting position and start the respective contest from the tail end of the starting grid.

With the green and orange No. 60 of Sheltra dropping to the tail of the field before the green flag drops for the 51st ARCA race held in Long Pond, Sheltra quickly asserted to the point that charging from the rear of the field will be no easy task, but it can be accomplished.

“Patience is going to be crucial those first couple of laps,” Sheltra admitted. “I’ll be back there racing with guys who may be on a different agenda than myself. I’m going to show them the same respect I would for any other driver but with the race being just 50 laps – we have to go. I just hope that we emerge from any potential chaos unscathed, avoid any further mechanical scares and find ourselves in the hunt for the win.”

Sheltra is searching for his ninth top-10 of the year and hoping to back up his solid fourth place outing in the Messina Animal Wildlife Stopper 200 at Pocono just seven weeks ago. The aspiring racer is also eyeing his third career top-five (and top-10) Pocono (Pa.) Raceway run tomorrow.

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

Entering Pocono, Sheltra has 77 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 Weis Markets 125 (50 laps / 125 miles) is the 11th of 20 events on the 2010 ARCA Racing Series schedule. The 51st ARCA race at Pocono Raceway is a two-day show. Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying is set for later in the day slated to begin at 1:40 p.m. The event will take the green flag on Saturday, July 31 shortly after 3:00 p.m. The event will be televised live on SPEED with additional weekend (practice / qualifying) and race coverage broadcasted live through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com presented by ARCANation.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 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 Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards (No. 60) and a limited schedule in the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). 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