Patrick Sheltra Delivers Second Straight Top-10 Qualifying Run At New Jersey Motorsports Park

Topics:  Patrick Sheltra, Garden State ARCA 150

Chris Knight
Sheltra Motorsports
August 14, 2010

MILLVILLE, New Jersey (August 11, 2010) - - Tomorrow, the ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards will host it’s 1,306 event since the series inception in 1953 and Indiantown, Florida native Patrick Sheltra will be a part of it after qualifying 10th Saturday afternoon for Sunday’s Garden State ARCA 150 presented by American Red Cross, the third-ever ARCA road course event held at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP).

Today’s effort by the 24-year old rising star earns him his second consecutive starting position inside the top-10 at the 2.25-mile road course after starting eighth in last September’s South Jersey Building Trades 150. Earlier today, Sheltra in his black No. 60 Sheltra Motorsports Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS posted the ninth and eighth times respectively in the practice sessions leading up to Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying.

Based on his overall practice results, Sheltra would be placed in the second group of qualifiers. Each group, which consisted of five cars, would be allowed 10 minutes to make as many qualifying attempts as they chose.

Sheltra under the advisement of crew chief Jon Wolfe wasn’t planning to utilize the entire time to make their qualifying run but knew that they would make anywhere between two and three laps. Shortly before 4:45 p.m. local, Sheltra in his second group posted a time of 84.183 seconds or 96.219 miles per hour, the third fastest of his group. Initially, Sheltra jumped up to the fifth fastest time before eventually landing outside of row number five in the 10th position.

The team’s results in qualifications earned them their sixth top-10 starting position in 13 races this year. The team has started no worse than 18th in 2010.

“We’re not going to complain about starting 10th, especially when I’m not a road-racing expert,” said Sheltra, who enters tomorrow’s race just 60 points from the ARCA Racing Series championship point’s lead. “We’ve been in this same type of position before (starting inside the top-10). We had a good car then and we have an even better car now. The focus tomorrow is to keep our Chevrolet on the pavement and hope we can leave with another top-10 finish.”

When the NASCAR-bound driver was asked what type of race fans can expect tomorrow at New Jersey Motorsports Park, he smiled, paused and said, “I think the fans are going to see a good race tomorrow. You have some of the field that’s here on a different agenda, so one way or another; I think you’ll see that come into play. Our goal is to use strategy as best as we can, keep the fenders on and finish somewhere inside the top-10.”

The ARCA Racing Series pro was also quick to point out the dedication and hard work of his North Carolina-based Sheltra Motorsports team. “These guys have worked their tails off today (Saturday),” sounded Sheltra. “I told Tommy (Buzze, car chief) that this car seemed a lot more stable from Palm Beach (Fla.) International Raceway. The hard work and “never give up attitude” from them has definitely paid off and given me good vibes tomorrow, I just hope we are right.”

In addition to eyeing his 11th top-10 finish of the year in the Garden State ARCA 150, the dirt late model ace is also searching for his third consecutive top-10 finish on a road course Sunday afternoon. The streak started off at NJMP last September and continued with a 10th place outing in February in the ARCA Racing Series inaugural stop to Palm Beach (Fla.) International Raceway, where Sheltra wheeled his No. 60 Sheltra & Son Construction Chevrolet to a 10th place finish in the rain-soaked Tire Kingdom 150 presented by ModSpace.

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

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

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