| Spotlight On Patrick Sheltra At Palm Beach
“Indiantown, Florida Native A Hometown Favorite
For PBIR”
JUPITER, Florida (February 23, 2010) - - Indiantown, Florida
native Patrick Sheltra cannot hide from being in the spotlight
when the ARCA Racing Series (ARS) presented by RE/MAX and
Menards enters Palm Beach (Fla.) International Raceway this
weekend but Sheltra is prepared to stay focused for Saturday’s
Tire Kingdom 150 presented by ModSpace.
For just the third time in his ARCA career, the 23-year
old will compete on a road course and while he doesn’t
consider himself a road racing expert by any means, the
ARCA pro is approaching Saturday’s race with optimism.
“I’m ready for Saturday,” said Sheltra,
who’s in his fourth year of ARCA competition. “This
is an important race for us and we prepared to raise the
bar and conquer the challenges and leave Palm Beach with
a strong finish.”
Sheltra knows that Palm Beach will be different than any
other ARCA event he has ever competed in though. With the
track located just 15 minutes up the road from the small
city of Indiantown, the stands are expected to be packed
with “Sheltra Nation” hoping to the see their
hero in contention for his second career ARS victory.
“It’s really cool to have a race literally
in our backyard,” Sheltra sounded. “The outpour
of support from fans and the local media has been incredible.
I’m extremely appreciative of everyone’s support
but I have to remain the job at hand on Saturday. I don’t
want to disappoint my guys or our marketing partners –
we’re here to win and look at the bigger picture.”
Much like his inaugural debut at New Jersey Motorsports
Park in 2008, “Mr. Showtime” had the opportunity
to test at the 11-turn, 2.034-mile design and FIA Grade
II certified road course two days after finishing fifth
in the ARCA season opener at Daytona (Fla.) International
Speedway earlier this month.
The test was successful despite some motor issues late
in the day but the Sheltra Motorsports team led by crew
chief Jon Wolfe along with Sheltra are confident about the
car’s modifications for this weekend.
“The guys have worked really hard on the car since
the test,” added Sheltra. “They installed several
new parts and painted the car in a slick black which is
a little different than our normal bright green and camouflage
so hopefully the change in the paint scheme can bring us
some extra luck.
The track is incredibly fast with some seriously tight
corners. It’s going to take a driver who is easy on
their equipment and uses their head the best that will be
victorious this weekend. Without a doubt, we plan to be
that car.”
With Sheltra’s superior top-five effort at Daytona,
Sheltra locks fifth in the ARCA Racing Series point standings
but with his four competitors ahead of him not entered for
the second race of the season Sheltra will inherit the number
one spot and doesn’t plan to relinquish the position.
"It's probably a little early in the season to be
talking points, but someone's gotta be the leader out of
Palm Beach, and I'd like to be that guy," said the
pilot of the No. 60 Sheltra & Son Construction, Inc.
Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS. "We've just hovered in the
top-10 points over the last few years; it's time to step
up and win this championship. We've got the team; I've got
the experience, and we all want it bad.”
All About Flowers, American Concrete, Buffalo Wings &
Rings, CAM 2 Blue Blood Racing Oil, Ferguson Pipe Enterprises
and Recycling Services join the team as associate marketing
partners in Saturday’s contest.
Entering Palm Beach, Sheltra has 68 ARCA Racing Series
presented by RE/MAX and Menards starts to his credit with
one career victory at Salem Speedway (April 2009). During
his ARCA tenure, Sheltra has accumulated 11 top-fives and
posted 23 top-10 finishes. A third place qualifying effort
at Rockingham Speedway (April 2009) is Sheltra’s best
time trials efforts to date. He has controlled the ARCA
field five times for 109 laps.
The Tire Kingdom 150 presented by ModSpace (75 laps / 150
miles) is the second of 20 events on the 2010 ARCA Racing
Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards schedule. The first
ARCA race held at Palm Beach is a two day show. Practice
begins Friday, February 26 with a three hour practice session
planned from 11:30a.m.- 2:30 p.m. Menards pole qualifying
presented by Ansell is set for later in the day Friday,
February 26 slated to begin at 4:00 p.m. The event will
take the green flag on Saturday, February 27 shortly after
1:00 p.m. The race will not be televised but race coverage
including live timing and scoring and radio broadcast will
be available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online
at arcaracing.com. All times are local.
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.
About Sheltra Motorsports:
Sheltra Motorsports (sheltramotorsports.com) is a three-tier
Motorsports operation consisting of dirt and asphalt competition.
Patrick Sheltra, a 23-year old native of Indiantown, Florida
competes in the UMP and WoO (Dirt) Series; while also running
a full schedule in the ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX
and Menards (No. 60) and a limited schedule in the NASCAR
Nationwide Series. Sheltra Motorsports ownership is combined
of Richard, Grace and Patrick Sheltra. The team is headquartered
in Indiantown, Florida with additional operations in Richmond,
Indiana and Mooresville, North Carolina.
TEAM COMMUNICATIONS CONTACT:
Chris Knight, Sheltra Motorsports
P: 239.834.9797
E: chris@patricksheltra.com |
