Patrick Sheltra, No. 60 Chevrolet New Jersey ARCA Fast Facts

Topics:  Patrick Sheltra, Garden State ARCA 150

Chris Knight
Sheltra Motorsports
August 12, 2010

Patrick Sheltra, No. 60 Recycling Services / Ferguson Pipe Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS; Garden State ARCA 150 presented by American Red Cross Fast Facts

ARCA Racing Series Race No. 13, Garden State ARCA 150 presented by American Red Cross; New Jersey Motorsports Park, Millville, New Jersey

Race Information: Event: Garden State ARCA 150 presented by American Red Cross, Sunday, August 15 at 1:00 p.m. Local Time Track: New Jersey Motorsports Park Qualifying: Saturday, August 14 at 4:30 p.m. Local Time; Track Length: 2.25 mile paved road course.

Last Time Out; Berlin (Mich.) Raceway: On the heels of a sixth place finish the week before in the Weis Markets 125 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, Patrick Sheltra and his Sheltra Motorsports headed to Berlin (Mich.) Raceway, the site of the shortest track on the 2010 ARCA calendar. The Marne, Michigan racetrack also happens to be the site of Sheltra’s first career top-five in 2007. Unveiling a Dodge Charger for his fourth tango with the .4-mile oval, the team placed 10th in practice before drawing the very first position for qualifying. After starting 16th, Sheltra quickly roared through the stout field and found himself in the top-five by lap 50. Just after halfway, Sheltra made the move on nine-time ARCA champion Frank Kimmel for the top-spot. The Indiantown, Florida native controlled the field for 25 laps before sliding back to third with worn tires. A caution approaching 50 to go, allowed the chance for Sheltra to gain new grip but the ARCA pro ran out of laps despite having the fastest machine on the track. The team settled for second, tying their season-best performance. In April, Sheltra made a remarkable comeback from being tangled in the “Big One” to push the No. 22 of Dakoda Armstrong to victory and claim the runner-up spot.

One Year Ago At New Jersey Motorsports Park: After finishing 11th in his very first road course event at New Jersey Motorsports Park, Sheltra was gambling on a better performance. With the guidance and wisdom of driver coach and former NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Ted Musgrave, Sheltra qualified his No. 60 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS eighth, stayed in the top-10 all race long and took the checkered flag in the seventh position.

Ready For Lefts & Rights: For the fifth time since 2001 the ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards will compete on a road course. This weekend the highly diverse racing sanction will compete at the newly constructed (2008) New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) at the Thunderbolt Raceway in Millville, New Jersey. Sheltra, the NASCAR bound driver will make his fourth ever start at a road course in a stock car.

Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad; Three Outta Four Would Be Better: Despite his limited road racing skills, the 24-year old Sheltra has been able to maneuver two top-10 finishes in a row on a road course. Last September, Sheltra finished seventh in his second trip to NJMP. Earlier this year, Sheltra along with the rest of the ARCA Racing Series tour made the trip to Palm Beach (Fla.) International Raceway, where the driver of the No. 60 Sheltra & Son Construction Chevrolet was able to finish 10th, competing in his very first race in the rain.

Talk About Diversity: Two races ago, Sheltra and his Jon Wolfe-led Sheltra Motorsports team tackled Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, a 2.5-mile triangle and finished sixth. Last weekend, the team headed to the smallest track on the circuit of Berlin (Mich.) Raceway where they muscled a second-place finish. This 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. Berlin (Mich.) 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 four selected race tracks will receive a bonus at the championship banquet in December.

After That Crown Too: With the Bill France Four Crown officially kicking off last weekend at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway, Sheltra trails leader Joey Coulter by five points for a separate trophy compared to the ARCA Racing Series championship. The Bill France Four Crown consists of four differently configured race tracks, Berlin (Mich.) Raceway, New Jersey Motorsports Park, Illinois State Fairgrounds (dirt) and finally, Chicagoland Speedway at the end of the month. The driver with the best average finish of those four race tracks will receive a bonus at the championship banquet in December.

New Record Set; But Thirsty For More: While eclipsing his sixth top-five finish of the year at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway, Patrick Sheltra now holds a new record for the number of finishes inside the top-five and top-10 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 was overtaken by his performance in the ARCA Berlin 200. Sheltra is hoping to expand his new personal record with eight races remaining this year.

Point’s Check: 12 races down, eight to go, Sheltra with the guidance of crew chief Jon Wolfe sits fourth in the ARCA Racing Series championship standings accumulating 2545 points and 60 markers behind current leader Craig Goess. The driver nicknamed “Mr. Showtime” is tied with Cunningham Motorsport’s Tom Hessert for the position. The 24-year old Sheltra also controls the fourth position in the ARS car owner standings also tied with Hessert’s owner Kerry Scherer. After the most recent ARCA event at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway, Sheltra made up 70 points overall on the championship chase to then leader Justin Marks, who had a 130-point gap over the avid hunter entering the 12th contest of the year. 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 Statistic; Superb Stats: By posting his 10th top-10 finish of the season last weekend at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway, Sheltra is the only driver in the ARCA Racing Series to finish inside the top-10 in 10 of the 12 races completed thus far in 2010. 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, a sixth place at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway and most recently a second-place outing in the Berlin ARCA 200 at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway for round number 12.

Autographs Anyone?: After his duties at the track on Sunday morning, Sheltra is scheduled to participate in the on-track autograph session at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. local time.

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.

Wanna Come Along For The Ride? 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, New Jersey Motorsports Park Pre-Race Quotes: Patrick Sheltra, driver / owner of the No. 60 Recycling Services / Ferguson Pipe Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS

On Berlin (Mich.) Raceway: “It felt so good to have a run like we did last weekend at Berlin. I have to give a lot of the credit to the guys on this Sheltra Motorsports team. They are the ones that pour their heart and soul into making this program run, I’m just the lucky to sit behind the wheel. I have a feeling that our performance last weekend proved that you cannot count out Sheltra Motorsports for the championship.”

On New Jersey Motorsports Park: “Actually, I am looking forward to going back to New Jersey. It’s a neat place. I don’t have a lot of experience there, but we’ve always been real solid there and even were able to put together a top-10 run last year. The car we are taking was built by Sheltra Motorsports specifically for the road course events, so I’m hoping we can put together another comfortable finish.”

On The Possibility Of Three Straight Top-10s On A Road Course: “That’s something I would probably never have dreamed of (laughs). The road courses are no joke because they are just as important as the oval races. Luckily, I’ve concentrated a lot on the fundamentals that go along with road racing and I think it’s helped us overall as a team.”

On The Bill France Four Crown: “We’ve always been a contender for this championship inside of a championship. The finish at Berlin helped us get a good start at going for the Bill France Four Crown this year, we just have to get through New Jersey and see where we stand. If we have a top-10 run there, I’m confident that the races at Springfield (Illinois State Fairgrounds) and Chicagoland Speedway will aid us towards taking that honor.”

On Points: “To make up 70 points overall is huge. Everyone that we are chasing finished behind us last weekend and that’s what we have to do every week if we’re going to stay in the hunt. Obviously, the qualifying bonus points can make or break this championship and while I’m not expecting us to qualify inside the top-three this weekend, I think we can do some damage on the dirt tracks coming up in a couple weeks.”

PRIOR RESULTS:

Patrick Sheltra, NJMP Thunderbolt Raceway Prior ARCA Performance Record:

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.

Fast Links:

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