Sheltra & Co. Lock Fourth Fastest In Lone Practice Session At Rockingham

Topics:  Patrick Sheltra, American 200

Chris Knight
Sheltra Motorsports
October 8, 2010

“Team Shows Major Improvement From Open Test Thursday”

ROCKINGHAM, North Carolina (October 8, 2010) - - If you had the opportunity to listen to the radio transmission on Friday, you would have never realized that Sheltra Motorsports is feeling any pressure. The Mooresville, North Carolina-based team leads the ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards championship standings by 10 heading into tomorrow’s season finale at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway for the American 200 presented by Black’s Tire & Auto Service.

The atmosphere on the radio was pleasant and the attitude of the team was contagious and it reflected on-track when driver Patrick Sheltra mounted the fourth fastest lap in Friday’s lone practice session leading into tomorrow’s 20th race of the season.

Sheltra aboard his No. 60 Tequesta Road and Bridge of Florida / Jones Group International Toyota Camry negotiated his green and orange machine around “The Rock” in 24.891 seconds amounting to a speed of 144.631 miles per hour.

During the hour and a half practice session, the team led by veteran crew chief Jon Wolfe played with the handling of their Sheltra Motorsports Toyota. After reporting a tight from center off feeling in their first tango, the team went to work with a spring change.

A simulated race run showcased a stable Japanese nameplate with the Indiantown, Florida native informing his crew of being free or loose from the center off. The team went back to work on some minor adjustments before the team found a very nice race setup they felt comfortable with.

Their confidence in their race package tomorrow allowed the team to switch gears and concentrate on mock-qualifying runs in preparation for Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying set to ignite later today at 2:30 p.m. EST.

In his first of two fictitious qualifying runs, Sheltra bolted his No. 60 Tequesta Road and Bridge of Florida / Jones Group International Toyota Camry to a time of 25.160 seconds at 143.073 miles per hour. The run raised the team from 16th to fifth on the overall practice rundown.

Content with the first run, Sheltra and his team aimed towards a second try with just a half-hour left in the session. During his one-lap hustle, the 24-year old rising star maneuvered his family-owned team around Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway in 24.891 seconds or 144.631 miles per hour, just .286 seconds slower than session leader Kevin Swindell.

Champion contenders Craig Goess (- 10 tallies behind Sheltra) and Tom Hessert (-20 points behind) Sheltra placed third and 19th respectively in practice.

“We’re real happy with our No. 60 Tequesta Road and Bridge of Florida / Jones Group International Toyota Camry,” offered Sheltra, who enters the final race with a series high 11 top-fives and 16 top-10 finishes. “We put our heads together after the test yesterday and went to work this morning with some changes and obviously by the end of practice, we knew we had gone in the right direction. The second qualifying run, I could not ask for anymore out of our Toyota Camry. I’m really proud of all my guys for their hard work this week. We’re ready to go after it in qualifying later today and I feel we’re good to go for the race tomorrow.”

Entering Rockingham, Sheltra has 86 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 21 top-fives and posted 38 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 10 times for 276 laps.

The American 200 presented by Black's Tire and Auto Service (200 laps / 200 miles) is the 20th of 20 events on the 2010 ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards schedule. The fifth ARCA race held at Rockingham is a two-day show. Practice begins Friday, October 8 with an hour and a half practice session planned from 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying is slated to begin later in the day at 2:30 p.m. The event will take the green flag on Saturday, October 9 shortly after 1:30 p.m. The race will be broadcasted live on SPEED with additional broadcast coverage including live timing and scoring throughout the 1,313 race for the ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards since it was formed in 1953 available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com presented by ARCANation.com. All times are local.

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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