Patrick Sheltra, No. 60 Boatwerks Restaurant Dodge ARCA Berlin Fast Facts

Topics:  Patrick Sheltra, Berlin ARCA 200

Chris Knight
Sheltra Motorsports
August 6, 2010

Patrick Sheltra, No. 60 Boatwerks Waterfront Restaurant / Speed Media Dodge Charger, Berlin ARCA 200 Fast Facts

ARCA Racing Series Race No. 12, Berlin ARCA 200 Berlin (Mich.) Raceway, Marne, Michigan

Race Information: Event: Berlin ARCA 200; Saturday, August 7 at 8:30 p.m. Local Time Track: Berlin Raceway Qualifying: Saturday, August 7 at 5:00 p.m. Local Time; Track Length: .4-mile paved-oval.

Last Time Out; Pocono (Pa.) Raceway: After mounting a solid fourth place outing in the spring race at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, Patrick Sheltra and his Sheltra Motorsports team returned to the “Tricky Triangle” looking to improve on their finish. Unfortunately, the team was doomed with a series of obstacles from the start of the weekend. The Sheltra Motorsports team experienced engine issues following a 10th place qualifying effort on Friday afternoon. Opting to change the motor forced the 24-year old Sheltra to start the 50-lap sprint from the tail end of the field. Charging in typical Sheltra fashion, the driver of the No. 60 Recycling Services / Ferguson Pipe Toyota Camry roared to the front only to hindered in the pits where the driver lost first and second gears in the transmission and trapped a lap-down following normal routine green flag pit stops. Thankfully, the team’s determination paid off as he was able to retain his lead lap status, thunder back through the field and capture his ninth top-10 finish of the season by crossing the line sixth.

Oh, What A Place: This weekend for the fourth time in his ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards career, Sheltra will visit Berlin (Mich.) Raceway, a tricky short track located in the western roots of the lower peninsula of Michigan. Despite its uncharacteristic short track features, Berlin is the home of Sheltra’s first career ARCA top-five of fourth registered in the summer of 2007.

From The Water To The Track; Glad To Have You Back: Sheltra Motorsports welcomes Boatwerks Waterfront Restaurant who will serve as the primary marketing partner on the team’s No. 60 Dodge Charger for Saturday night’s thriller at Berlin Raceway. Sitting on the shores of Lake Macatawa and being downtown Holland’s only waterfront restaurant, Boatwerks Waterfront Restaurant offers family friendly casual dining, waterfront views, indoor and outdoor dining, banquet facilities, catering services and a convenient full menu takeout.

We’re Not Only About Speed On The Track: For the first time since the team’s inception in 2007, Sheltra Motorsports will sport the decals of Speed Media as an associate marketing partner for this weekend’s contest. Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Speed Media has handled the design and disbursement of the team’s hero cards, press kits, team logos and much more since the team’s full-time entrance into motorsports four years ago. Speed Media President Kurt Dietrich will be on-hand as a guest of the team for the Berlin ARCA 200.

Seat Time Doesn’t Hurt; Even For A Pro: Berlin Raceway officials opened up its legendary short track to the stars and cars of the ARCA Racing Series on Friday (August 6) for a two hour and twenty minute practice session divided into three portions. The session rolled off at 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m., followed by a one hour effort from 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m., with a final twenty minute round scheduled from 8:00 p.m. – 8:20 p.m. ARCA was sharing the track with the local divisions of the Marne, Michigan track. The purpose of Friday event was to allow teams to gather a baseline setup for the 23rd ARCA event held at Berlin under the lights.

Action Heavy Off The Track For Sheltra Too: While the ARCA Racing Series is the beginning stages of a grueling 10-race schedule in 11 weeks, Sheltra has been very busy this week and will continue to be off the track. On Thursday night, Sheltra participated in a safety function for the city of Holland, Michigan where he discussed the safety of the ARCA Racing Series car with the media in addition to signing autographs for race fans and local residents who attended the festivity. This upcoming Tuesday (August 10) Sheltra will make a return trip to Cedar Point for “ARCA Day” in correspondence with the amusement parks “Wheels of Thunder" promotion. Sheltra and a number of his ARCA racing colleagues will sign autographs for the visitors beginning at 12:00 p.m. (Eastern).

Talk About Diversity: Last weekend, Sheltra and his Jon Wolfe-led Sheltra Motorsports team tackled Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, a 2.5-mile triangle. This weekend, the team heads to the smallest track on the circuit of Berlin (Mich.) Raceway, next weekend the series returns to New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) for the second road course event of the year and finally, Sheltra treks back to his roots of dirt with a stop for the ARCA Racing Series at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Illinois. Sheltra has recorded a top-10 finish at each of these racecourses since his invasion into the ARCA Racing Series in 2007. Pocono (Pa.) Raceway also kicked off the start of the Bill France Four Crown, which is a separate title in itself where the driver with the best average finish of all four race tracks will receive a bonus at the championship banquet in December.

Closing In On A Record: While eclipsing his fifth top-five finish of the year at Michigan International Speedway last month, Patrick Sheltra holds a new record for the number of finishes inside the top-five for a full-season. In his previous three full-time seasons, Sheltra had posted a season high of four top-five finishes in 2009. Sheltra’s personal best overall season of nine top-10 finishes in 2008 is on the verge of being collapsed with Sheltra already recording nine top-10s in 11 events in 2010. Sheltra is expected to set a new personal season stat record with nine races remaining this year.

Point’s Check: 11 races down, nine to go, Sheltra with the guidance of crew chief Jon Wolfe sits fifth in the ARCA Racing Series championship standings accumulating 2545 points and 130 markers behind current leader Justin Marks. The 24-year old Sheltra also controls the fifth position in the ARS car owner standings. After the most recent ARCA event at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, Sheltra slipped to fifth in the championship chase despite finishing sixth after Tom Hessert, who sits fourth finished two positions ahead of Sheltra. Earlier this year, Sheltra held the top-spot for three consecutive races (Toledo, Michigan and Pocono) in a row after also sharing the top-spot with Parker Kligerman for one race (Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway) in 2009.

Nice Stats: By posting his ninth top-10 finish of the season last weekend at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, Sheltra is tied with only one other driver in the ARCA Racing Series driver to finish inside the top-10 in nine of the 11 races thus far in 2010. Justin Marks, the current’s points leader is the only other driver to post a similar stat. 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 at Toledo Speedway, a fourth place run at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, a third place outing in the Racing for Wildlife 200 at Michigan International Speedway and most recently a sixth place run in the Weis Markets 125 at Pocono for round number 11.

Patrick Sheltra ARCA Career At-A-Glance: Entering Berlin, Sheltra has 78 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 31 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.

Marketing Partnerships Still Available: Multiple cost-effective marketing partnership packages are still available for the 2010 ARCA Racing Series and NASCAR 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 Brandon Hinson (brandon@patricksheltra.com) or email marketing@patricksheltra.com.

Are You In The Know?: Patrick Sheltra and Sheltra Motorsports are proud to be apart of the Facebook (Official Patrick Sheltra Fan Page) and Twitter (@patricksheltra) 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, Berlin Raceway Pre-Race Quotes: Patrick Sheltra, driver / owner of the No. 60 Boatwerks Waterfront Restaurant / Speed Media Dodge Charger

On Pocono (Pa.) Raceway: “Despite all that we had to battle at Pocono last weekend, I was satisfied. It had the potential to be another disastrous race but we really made the best of it. The race was a little too short but overall the comeback we made is what is keeping us alive in the championship chase. I’m proud of the Sheltra Motorsports team.”

On Berlin (Mich.) Raceway: “For a driver, it’s either a track you love or hate. I like the place. It’s flat, it requires you to be on your toes and requires some strategy. Track position is so crucial, so a good qualifying run is key to succeeding. You can get bumped around but you have to keep the fenders on to be a contender. Berlin is the place of my very first top-five finish of my career, so I always enjoy going to a track that holds sentimental value.”

On Berlin (Mich.) Raceway Friday Open Test: “Actually, the test went really good. We were able to try some things we probably would not have been able to tomorrow (Saturday). The car responded very well to the changes, especially on older tires, so I really am looking forward to tomorrow night’s race.”

On The Return Of Boatwerks Waterfront Restaurant: “I cannot tell you what it means to us to have this awesome relationship continue with Boatwerks for this weekend. There commitment and loyalty to this team at Berlin represents their willingness to promote our team and ARCA in their backyard. Hopefully, we can have a good night and take them to victory lane.”

On Points: “Again, we’re down but no way near out. Rebounds like what we did last weekend at Pocono have kept us in the championship race. It’s really going to take one of the guys in the top-three to have some misfortune to allow someone like me and Tom (Hessert) to catch-up. Realistically, our deficit isn’t bad but we have to make up some ground soon, so in the final fives it won’t be races where you’re looking to make up the ground but positions on the race track.”

Sheltra Motorsports, Berlin Raceway Pre-Race Quotes: Jon Wolfe, crew chief of the No. 60 Boatwerks Waterfront Restaurant / Speed Media Dodge Charger

On Berlin (Mich.) Raceway; A Unique Racetrack On The ARCA Racing Series Circuit: “I am personally not a big fan of Berlin. The track and most of pit road are very unsafe. I just hope the series puts on a good show , no one gets hurt and we can have a good night, maybe even win.”

On The Impressive Rebound At Pocono (Pa.) Raceway Last Weekend: “Patrick really pulled us out at Pocono, we got behind when we pitted under green and then the caution came out before the other leaders pitted. On top of that the guys did not have a great stop, and we broke first and second gear when leaving. He drove the wheels off of it to get back into the top-10, if the race had been the normal distance we could have been contending for the win.”

On The Team Participating In Some Open-Testing At Berlin (Mich.) Raceway On Friday Afternoon And The Advantages It Could Have Towards The Race On Saturday Night?: “With practice time very short on Saturday this should help us to make sure that we have a good baseline and also provide us an opportunity to try some things that we would not have time to do on race day.”

On What It Will Take To Win The Berlin ARCA 200: “As with most short tracks survival is one of the main keys. Also because Berlin is such a tricky little track, Patrick has to be very smooth and not overdrive the car.”

On If The Championship Is Still A Realistic Goal For Sheltra Motorsports?: “We are in no way shape or form out of contention for the championship, we are still working hard and will until the end. This has been our goal from the start, we are a little behind right now and I think that just pushes us harder.”

PRIOR RESULTS:

Patrick Sheltra, Berlin Raceway Prior ARCA Performance Record

The Berlin ARCA 200 (200 laps / 88 miles) is the 12th of 20 events on the 2010 ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards schedule. The 23rd ARCA event held at the Marne, Michigan racetrack is a one-day show. Practice begins Saturday, August 7 with an hour and half practice session planned from 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying is slated to begin at 5:00 p.m. An on-track autograph session has been etched in from 6:15 p.m. – 6:45 p.m. The event will take the green flag that evening shortly after 8:30 p.m. The race will not be televised but race coverage including live timing and scoring throughout the day will be available through the BAS Racing Network in conjunction with the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com presented by ARCANation.com. All times are local.

Fast Links:

Driver / Team: Patrick Sheltra on the web: PatrickSheltra.com

Marketing Partner: Boatwerks Waterfront Restaurant on the web: Boatwerksrestaurant.com

Marketing Partner: Speed Media on the web: Speed-media.com

Sanction: ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards: ARCARacing.com

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