Patrick Sheltra, No. 60 Recycling Services Dodge ARCA Springfield Fast Facts

Topics:  Patrick Sheltra, Allen Crowe 100

Chris Knight
Sheltra Motorsports
August 21, 2010

Patrick Sheltra, No. 60 Recycling Services / Ferguson Pipe Dodge Charger, Allen Crowe 100 Fast Facts

ARCA Racing Series Race No. 14, Allen Crowe 100, Illinois State Fairgrounds, Springfield, Illinois

Race Information: Event: Allen Crowe 100, Sunday, August 22, at 1:00 p.m. Local Time Track: Illinois State Fairgrounds Qualifying: Sunday, August 22, at 11:00 a.m. Local Time; Track Length: 1.0-mile clay.

Last Time Out; New Jersey Motorsports Park: On the heels of a second-place run at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway a week prior, Patrick Sheltra and his Sheltra Motorsports team returned to New Jersey Motorsports Park looking for another solid outing. After placing in the top-10 in both practices, Sheltra qualified 10th but quickly moved into the top-five in the early stages of the Garden State ARCA 150 presented by American Red Cross. Unfortunately, the team would face adversity during the course of the 67-lap event as a broken shock tower would stall the performance of Sheltra’s No. 60 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS. A temporary solution though would re ignite Sheltra and place him back inside the top-10 but an engine failure on the last lap of the 13th race of the season would ultimately result in a 13th place finish.

Welcome To My Turf: Patrick Sheltra is no stranger to the dirt and for the seventh time in his ARCA Racing Series career, Sheltra will return to the dirt in a stock car gunning for win number two Sunday afternoon. Sheltra showcased his driving talent on the dirt competing in USAC and UMP late model events throughout the United States before making the transition to asphalt full time in 2007. On Sunday, Sheltra will make his fourth start at the Illinois State Fairgrounds and has two top-fives and three top-15 place finishes in three races. He has a perfect record for laps completed in those three contests at 305 (100; 2007; 102; 2008; 103 2009;) laps respectively.

Springfield; One Year Ago: Vowing to improve on a heartbreaking finish in the 2008 Allen Crowe 100, Sheltra returned to the Illinois State Fairgrounds looking for revenge. Sheltra qualified his No. 60 Buffalo Wings & Rings Dodge Charger fourth before finding himself in contention for his second win of the season before having to eventually hunker down and cross the line third. It was Sheltra’s second podium finish at the one-mile dirt track in three starts and fourth top-five of the 2009 season.

Now You See Me; Now You Don’t: Bringing back a blast from the past, the Sheltra Motorsports team will sport a unique but familiar paint scheme for Sunday’s Allen Crowe 100. The team will utilize the same paint scheme they ran with their Dodge last year at Springfield which consisted of a very slick looking all-camouflage No. 60 entry. The team only plans to run the popular paint scheme in one more ARCA Racing Series outing this season before blending back to their familiar green and neon orange layout.

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.

Talk About Diversity: Three races ago, Sheltra and his Jon Wolfe-led Sheltra Motorsports team tackled Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, a 2.5-mile triangle and finished sixth. Two races ago, the team headed to the smallest track on the circuit of Berlin (Mich.) Raceway where they muscled a second-place finish. Last weekend, the series returned to New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) for the second road course event of the year. 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 at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway two races ago, Sheltra trails leader Joey Coulter by 60 points for a separate trophy compared to the ARCA Racing Series championship. After two of the four events, Sheltra is sixth overall just 30 points behind second-place held by Frank Kimmel. 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 earlier this month, 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 seven races remaining this year.

Point’s Check: 13 races down, seven to go, Sheltra with the guidance of crew chief Jon Wolfe sits fourth in the ARCA Racing Series championship standings accumulating 2935 points and 95 markers behind new series leader Frank Kimmel . The driver nicknamed “Mr. Showtime” fell to fifth following his 13th run at New Jersey Motorsports Park last Sunday. The 24-year old Sheltra also controls the fifth position in the ARS car owner standings. The top-seven ARCA Racing Series drivers are separated by just 105 points to the leader for control of the top spot in the championship chase. 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; Solid Stats: By posting his 10th top-10 finish of the season at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway on August 7, Sheltra is one of four drivers in the ARCA Racing Series to finish inside the top-10 in 10 of the 13 races completed thus far in 2010. The other three drivers consist of Frank Kimmel, Craig Goess and Mikey Kile. 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, a second-place outing in the Berlin ARCA 200 at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway and most recently a 13th place outing for round number 13 at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

Patrick Sheltra ARCA Career At-A-Glance: Entering Springfield, Sheltra has 80 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.

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, Illinois State Fairgrounds (Springfield) Pre-Race Quotes: Patrick Sheltra, driver of the No. 60 Recycling Services / Ferguson Pipe Dodge Charger

On New Jersey Motorsports Park: “Jon (Wolfe, crew chief) and the team gave me a great car but we had circumstances occur out of control that ultimately resulted in a discouraging finish. If there was any good news leaving New Jersey, we didn’t lose that many points and we’re still in the championship game.”

On Illinois State Fairgrounds (Springfield): “This is our weekend to return to victory lane. We’ve been so close this year that we really reserve to celebrate on Sunday. I know the ARCA Racing Series is on an impressive stretch of first-time winners right now, but I would have no problem breaking that trend if it meant taking my guys to victory lane.”

On The Key To Winning At Springfield: “Saving your equipment. Tires are not as crucial here as they would be at Du Quoin but keeping your fenders tucked in and minding you matters is the key to succeeding at Springfield. You also need to have a good handling car, one that does not want to spin out and a car that you can hammer back down in the gas without completely sliding it. We have a good car this weekend and we’re going to show it.”

On The Bill France Four Crown: “Joey (Coulter, leader) is on a tear lately. Good for him. He’s had a lot of bad luck this year but by no means are we out of contention for the Bill France Four Crown title. We’re only 60 points behind him for the lead and I’m expecting us to be strong at Springfield and Chicagoland Speedway next Friday night, so hopefully when push comes to shove, we can make an impressive comeback and grab that crown.”

On The Championship Chase: “Man, there is just no room for error this year in points. A perfect example was last weekend at New Jersey. We still had an okay run with 13th but lost points on some of our competitors. This chase is going to come down to Rockingham, guaranteed. Luckily for us, there are some good tracks for Sheltra Motorsports coming up, so I have a positive outlook that we’ll clearly be in the hunt.”

Sheltra Motorsports, Illinois State Fairgrounds (Springfield) Pre-Race Quotes: Jon Wolfe, crew chief of the No. 60 Recycling Services / Ferguson Pipe Dodge Charger

On Overall Thoughts On Illinois State Fairgrounds (Springfield): “First off I love the dirt races. I started out my career dirt racing, so this weekend is exciting and the approaching race for Du Quoin (September 6) are a thrill for me and our team.”

On His Driver’s Potential Advantage At Springfield: “Patrick’s dirt experience should be very helpful as far as feedback to us about the car and the track as the surface changes over the course of the day. Ultimately, we’re hoping we can win the Allen Crowe 100 on Sunday.”

On Using The Dirt Races To Try And Close The Gap In The Championship Chase: “With Patrick’s dirt background we are expected to do well at these events, but the top runners this year have stepped up in many ways. So although I feel we have the best chance of picking up the win, the championship contenders will not be far behind.”

On The Grueling Stretch Of Races And Keeping The Team Mentally Prepared: “The guys have been very hard at work preparing for this stretch, the biggest challenge is getting your mind set for the different tracks and a wide variety of car set up and preparation. The travel is also a big part of these next few weeks, as we no sooner get back to the shop, it seems its time to go again.”

On The Goals And Expectations For The Remainder Of The 2010 ARCA Racing Series Season: “The biggest thing for me is winning some races, I never would have guessed that we would be this far into the season and have not seen victory lane. Actually I'm pretty mad about it, so we have to meet that goal. We are also still focused on the championship, which is still very much in our reach.”

PRIOR RESULTS:

Patrick Sheltra, Illinois State Fairgrounds Prior ARCA Performance Record:

The Allen Crowe 100 (100 laps / 100 miles) is the 14th of 20 events on the 2010 ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards schedule. The 28th ARCA event held at the Illinois State Fairgrounds is a one-day show. Practice begins Sunday, August 22 with a one hour practice session planned from 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying is slated to begin at 11:00 a.m. The field will take the green flag Sunday afternoon shortly after 1:00 p.m. The race will not be televised but race coverage including live timing and scoring throughout the day will be available through 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