Patrick Sheltra; Sheltra Motorsports Gunning For Illinois Sweep

Topics:  Patrick Sheltra, Southern Illinois 100

Chris Knight
Sheltra Motorsports
September 2, 2010

“Sheltra Motorsports Eyeing Complete Sweep Of Illinois ARCA Races”

DU QUOIN, Illinois (September 2, 2010) - - Still sitting on cloud nine since winning the last two ARCA Racing Series (ARS) presented by RE/MAX and Menards events at the Illinois State Fairgrounds (Springfield) and Chicagoland Speedway respectively, 24-year old Patrick Sheltra now heads to the Du Quoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds looking to pull off the Illinois sweep in Monday’s Southern Illinois 100 presented by Federated Car Care.

And if there’s a track that perfectly fits Sheltra’s plateau to land his third consecutive victory and fourth of his career, the Du Quoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds might just be the place. The Indiantown, Florida native will make his fourth career start at the one-mile clay oval on Monday. In his previous three starts, Sheltra has recorded a career best finish of second in 2008 behind nine-time champion Frank Kimmel. In 2007, Sheltra finished sixth after starting 12th.

The ARCA pro wants more than just a third consecutive win or the Illinois sweep, he wants revenge. Sheltra showed that he had the car to beat in last year’s Labor Day tradition but engine failure just 30 laps into the 100-lap feature leaves the Floridian with unfinished business.

“I want Du Quoin and I want it bad,” said Sheltra, who sits third in the ARCA Racing Series point standings entering Monday’s festivities, just 10 markers behind leader Craig Goess. “There was no doubt we had this race won; we were coming and the motor seized. I don’t think I ever left a track so mad. This year though, it’s the opposite story. We have some great momentum and a great team behind me and I promise you we’re going to give it our all to complete the Illinois sweep.”

For the second time this year, the Sheltra Motorsports team will revert to a blast from the past when the team led by veteran crew chief Jon Wolfe will unload the No. 60 Dodge Charger tricked out in an all camouflage paint scheme accented by streaks of neon orange. The paint scheme was a normal fixture for the Sheltra Motorsports team in 2008 before scaling back and running the popular wrap only on the dirt races last year. Sheltra’s automobile will be the same piece he notched a thrilling win in the Allen Crowe 100 two weeks ago.

After snookering the field on a late race restart and rising from eighth to first at Springfield, Sheltra held off a charging field behind him in his badly mangled No. 60 Chrysler nameplate to score his second career win and first of the 2010 season. Before powering his way to victory lane, Sheltra was involved in two separate incidents. Thanks to quick work by Performance Vehicle Works (PVW) and Timmy McKichan, the awarding winning piece will be back in contention on Monday gunning for a second straight win.

“I can’t thank Performance Vehicle Works and Timmy (McKichan) enough for helping us get the car repaired so quickly,” remarked Sheltra. They did a fantastic job and the car looks brand new! I also have to thank my guys at Sheltra Motorsports. They busted their tails this week to get this car back in tip-top shape for the final dirt race of the season. Everyone knows what a disaster she (the car) was after Springfield. Now, she has a brand new smooth wrap, so the field better be ready because we think we can leave them in the dust again!”

Aiming for his 13th top-10 finish of the 2010 season on Monday at the “Magic Mile”, Sheltra is quick to point out the different characteristics between the Illinois State Fairgrounds and the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds. “Even though they are the same track sizes, they are completely night and day. The way they are setup, the track characteristics and even tire wear are completely different at Du Quoin. Some say Springfield is more difficult than Du Quoin; some say Du Quoin is more challenging than Springfield. Both tracks have their pros and cons but I can promise you this; you cannot race the same way at Du Quoin that you do at Springfield, so I hope the fans are excited; because it’s going to be a heck of a show,” Sheltra explained.

Stalking the ARCA Racing Series championship point’s leader by just 10 markers with five races remaining, Sheltra is well aware that he needs to keep his momentum train on track which includes staying focused on and off the track. “We’re going for it,” sounded Sheltra, referring to the championship. “The last five tracks of the season; our team has had success at. I know we can do this. We’re going to triple check everything and do a lot of praying. If we keep doing what we’ve been doing the last couple of weeks, everyone should be chasing us come Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway in October.” Eddie Sharp Racing’s Craig Goess leads nine-time ARCA champion Frank Kimmel by five markers with Sheltra, just 10 points in the arrears.

Before turning his attention to the 1,309 race held for the 57-year tour, Sheltra will visit the American Legion Post 306 in Metropolis, Illinois on Sunday, September 5 to start spreading awareness and gather interest for this year’s “Toys for Tots” campaign.

The mission of the "Toys for Tots" program is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community in which the campaign is conducted. The primary goal of "Toys for Tots" is to deliver, through a new toy at Christmas, a message of hope to less fortunate youngsters that will assist them in becoming responsible, productive and patriotic citizens.

"It's a neat program and really hits your heart knowing that you are doing some great for a child on Christmas day. Our goal on Sunday is to encourage everyone to bring a new unwrapped / unopened toy that will give us a jump start on this year's mission. I'm going to help launch the program by bringing a handful of toys myself."

Sunday’s event officially kicks off at 1:00 p.m. with Sheltra scheduled to sign autographs beginning at 2:00 p.m. The American Legion Post 306 is located at 321 Market Street in Metropolis, Illinois 62960-1829, about an hour and a half from the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds. The American Legion will also have food and snacks available for purchase with the proceeds going towards the 2010 edition of “Toys for Tots.” Further information about the event is available by calling 618.771.7316

Multiple cost-effective marketing partnership packages are still available for the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds and the remainder of 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 Du Quoin, Sheltra has 82 ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards starts to his credit with three career victories at Salem (Ind.) Speedway (April 2009), the Illinois State Fairgrounds (August 2010) and Chicagoland Speedway (August 2010). During his ARCA tenure, Sheltra has accumulated 18 top-fives and posted 34 top-10 finishes. A second place qualifying effort at Chicagoland Speedway (August 2010) is Sheltra’s best time trials effort to date. He has controlled the ARCA field nine times for 273 laps.

The Southern Illinois 100 presented by Federated Car Care (100 miles / 100 laps) is the 16th of 20 events on the 2010 ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards schedule. The 28th ARCA Labor Day event held at the Du Quoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds is a one-day show. Practice begins Monday, September 6 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 Monday 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.

For more input on the Toys for Tots program please click over to Toysfortots.org.

For the latest on Patrick Sheltra, Sheltra Motorsports and marketing partnership opportunities please visit PatrickSheltra.com.

Join the official Patrick Sheltra fan page on Facebook by clicking here.

Tweet with Patrick Sheltra on Twitter (@patricksheltra) at twitter.com/patricksheltra.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