Patrick Sheltra Feeling Road Course Savvy Steering Back To New Jersey

Topics:  Patrick Sheltra, Garden State ARCA 150

Chris Knight
Sheltra Motorsports
August 11, 2010

MILLVILLE, New Jersey (August 11, 2010) - - ARCA Racing Series (ARS) presented by RE/MAX and Menards driver Patrick Sheltra will tell you up front that he is no road course specialist but he will tell you that when he visits New Jersey Motorsports (NJMP), the site of the 13th event on the 2010 schedule, it’s one of the challenges he welcomes with an open door policy.

Sheltra, the 24-year old will make his third career start at 2.25 mile paved road course in Sunday’s Garden State ARCA 150 presented by American Red Cross and fourth career start on a road course in a stock car. Earlier this year, Sheltra joined the tour in his backyard of Southwest Florida by visiting Palm Beach (Fla.) International Raceway (PBIR), located in Jupiter, Florida, a mere 10 minutes from Sheltra’s hometown of Indiantown. Sheltra finished 10th in the Tire Kingdom 150 presented by ModSpace in a history making event which saw the teams be forced to change from Hoosier slicks to wets after a steady rainfall drenched PBIR.

Thinking ahead, Sheltra knows that the possibility of competing on the rain could very well come into play, but the Indiantown, Florida native is focused on improving on last year’s performance at NJMP, where “Mr. Showtime” qualified eighth and finished seventh. With his recent two performances on road courses, Sheltra is vying for three straight top-10 finishes on tracks that consist of both left and right hand turns.

“I like New Jersey Motorsports Park, I always have since the first time I went there,” said Sheltra. “No way am I a pro at this road racing game but the track is a lot of fun and surprisingly I learned pretty quickly how to manhandle it. We did a lot of testing the first two years that we went there, so I’m excited about going back knowing that I think we have a legitimate shot at improving on our finish from last year.”

He added, “I’ve known since the beginning of the season that this is a race that could help you or haunt you as far as the championship is concerned. I’m confident about this weekend, especially after our run last Saturday night at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway, so my confidence level is pretty high right now. That’s definitely a positive sing for the Sheltra Motorsports team going into the weekend.”

Speaking of positive, Sheltra has everyone reason to be amped following his sixth top-five finish of the season last Saturday night at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway where Sheltra roared his No. 60 Boatwerks Waterfront Restaurant / Speed Media from his 16th place starting to position to inside the top-five by lap 50 and passing nine time ARCA champion Frank Kimmel just after halfway. Sheltra controlled the field for 25 laps before eventually having to settle for second, tying his season-best performance of the year. Sheltra credits last weekend’s run to the dedication and endless efforts of his Sheltra Motorsports team led by veteran Jon Wolfe.

“I am proud to boast about my guys,” sounded Sheltra. “They are awesome! They pour their heart and soul into our race team every week and I know they will do the same this weekend at New Jersey. On the up side, Jon (Wolfe) has a lot of experience working with road course ringers from his long-time presence in the sport, so I feel with what he’s learned has the potential to make us (Sheltra Motorsports) better at New Jersey than we ever have been.”

With eight races remaining, Sheltra is tied for fourth in the ARCA Racing Series championship standings with fellow colleague Tom Hessert. It is the second-time this season that the two drivers have been fighting for the same spot. Thanks to the team’s 10th top-10 performance of the year at Berlin, Sheltra now sits 60 markers behind the point’s lead, currently held by Craig Goess. The avid hunter made up 70 points overall on the championship chase last weekend.

Sheltra will pilot the No. 60 Recycling Services / Ferguson Pipe Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS for this weekend’s contest. It will be the second and final time in 2010 that the Mooresville, North Carolina team will carry the legendary bow-tie as it’s primary choice of manufacturer.

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.

Entering New Jersey, Sheltra has 79 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 16 top-fives and posted 32 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 seven times for 173 laps.

The Garden State ARCA 150 presented by American Red Cross (67 laps / 150 miles) is the 13th of 20 events on the 2010 ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards schedule. The third ARCA event held at the New Jersey Motorsports Park is a two-day show. Practice begins Saturday, August 14 with an hour and a half practice session planned from 11:15 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. A final “happy hour” session has been etched in from 1:35 p.m. – 2:35 p.m. Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying is slated to begin at 4:30 p.m. The field will take the green flag on Sunday, August 15 shortly after 1:00 p.m. The race will not be televised but race coverage including live timing and scoring throughout the weekend 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.

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 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