Patrick Sheltra, No. 60 Ferguson Pipe Enterprises-FloraGanics Dodge Charger;
Allen Crowe 100 Fast Facts
ARCA RE/MAX Series Race No. 15, Allen Crowe 100
Illinois State Fairgrounds, Springfield, Illinois

Race Information: Event: Allen Crowe 100, Sunday, August 17, at 1:00 p.m. Local Time Track: Illinois State Fairgrounds Qualifying: Sunday, August 17, at 11:00 a.m. Local Time; Track Length: 1.0-mile clay.

Nashville Superspeedway Recap: Sheltra Motorsports earned their 10th place finish in last Saturday’s TOYOTA ARCA 150 at Nashville Superspeedway. After losing their primary car in a practice incident, the team rebounded with a strong 16th place qualifying effort Saturday afternoon. During the course of the 117 lap event, Sheltra faced adversity including an oil leak and fading brakes. The 22-year old never gave up and took advantage of four fresh tires to mount a charge from 16th to 10th in the final seven laps of the event.

Welcome To My Turf: Patrick Sheltra is no stranger to the dirt and for the third time in his ARCA RE/MAX Series career, Sheltra will return to the dirt in the ARCA RE/MAX Series gunning for win number one 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.

One Year Ago: In his inaugural debut in the ARCA RE/MAX Series at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, Sheltra proved that his dirt track skills could not be taken lightly. The Indiantown, Florida native started ninth after Mother Nature washed out qualifying but quickly moved through the field before settling for third in his ARCA clay debut. At that time, it was a career best finish for Sheltra in the ARCA RE/MAX Series.

Away From The Land Of The Free: After competing in the Allen Crowe 100, Sheltra will spend Monday with his ARCA Sheltra Motorsports team in their shop in Whitesville, Kentucky before heading to Dryden, Texas where he will meet up with family and friends. Sheltra will be secluded from the outside world as satellite phones are the primary means of communication in the city of 11. Sheltra will return to normal habitat in time for the traditional Labor Day ARCA RE/MAX Series event at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds on Monday, September 1st.

In Case You Missed It: Patrick Sheltra, the sophomore ARCA driver was a guest Monday night on Trackside Tonight (1150 AM; WNDB.am) in Daytona Beach, Florida. Hosts Billy Ausburn, Randy Dye and Joe Linebarier spoke with the driver about his move into the ARCA RE/MAX Series, his past experience on the dirt and his plans for the future. To listen to the full interview, click on PatrickSheltra.com and listen to the interview link.

Grabbing Life By The Horns: For the eighth time this season, Sheltra and his Whitesville, Kentucky based Sheltra Motorsports operation will bring a Dodge Charger to the track. With four top-10s already in the books under the Dodge banner, the team is hoping to record their first top-five under the Chrysler nameplate. The team answered their inaugural debut with Dodge with a respectable eighth place finish at Kansas Speedway. A week later the team proved that the finish was no fluke as Sheltra steered through late race carnage and confusion at Kentucky Speedway to record an seventh place finish. In June, Sheltra mounted his best finish in a Charger after recording a sixth place finish at the two-mile oval of Michigan International Speedway. Most recently, Sheltra battled back from adversity to nail a 10th place finish in the TOYOTA ARCA 150 at Nashville Superspeedway last weekend. The new manufacturer also catapulted Sheltra to record a career best qualifying effort (Kansas) while also leading the field for four laps at the 1.5-mile race track of Kansas Speedway.

Impressive Stat: With 14 races complete in the 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series season, Sheltra Motorsports has fielded a car for Patrick Sheltra that has run in the top-10 for all 14 events thus far this season. The team has amassed one top-five with a runner-up at Toledo Speedway while holding five additional top-10 finishes. The team’s season best qualifying effort came at Kansas Speedway where Sheltra awarded himself with a career best run of eighth. Sheltra recorded his career best short track qualifying run of eighth at Berlin Raceway in July. The team has led two races at Kansas Speedway and Cayuga Motor Speedway for a total of 15 laps.

Join The Fan Club: Sheltra Motorsports has launched a Patrick Sheltra Fan Club and it’s absolutely free! Race fans can log onto to PatrickSheltra.com and fill out the form and you’re an immediate member. Receive press releases, autograph cards and much more!

Watcha Haulin?: Crew Chief John Hayden has elected to bring Sheltra Motorsports chassis number 7 to the Illinois State Fairgrounds this weekend. This is the same automobile the team participated with at USA International Speedway, Iowa Speedway, Gateway International Raceway and The Milwaukee Mile last year. The team converted the former Dale Earnhardt Inc. automobile to a Dodge Charger during the off-season. Chassis number 4 will serve as the team’s backup automobile. This car has not run in 2008 but is the same piece that Sheltra ran in both ARCA dirt events last year in addition to a top-five finish at Berlin Raceway last July.

Point Standings: After round 14 on the 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule, Patrick Sheltra sits 10th in the championship standings accumulating 2,595 points. Sheltra is 365 markers from moving into the fifth position currently held by nine-time ARCA RE/MAX Series champion Frank Kimmel. 110 points keep Sheltra from moving into the sixth position. 680 credits separate Sheltra from the points lead held by SunTrust Rookie-of-the-Year candidate Scott Speed.

Sheltra Motorsports, Illinois State Fairgrounds Pre-Race Quotes:
Patrick Sheltra, driver of the No. 60 Ferguson Pipe Enterprises-FloraGanics Dodge:

On Nashville: “We were satisfied walking away from Nashville with a top-10 finish, especially after all the hiccups we faced during the weekend. Our car was strong in the race but we had to battle some adversity that potentially kept us from a better finish. It was a nice way though to bounce back from the bad luck we’ve been taking in lately.”

On Springfield: “Time to get dirty. I’m really excited about the ARCA RE/MAX Series going back to the dirt. We’re going to have a good car and I honestly feel we can be in contention to win the Allen Crowe 100. I hope nothing stands in our way.”

On Back-To-Back Dirt Races: “That’s pretty neat. Last year we came to Springfield then went to some more asphalt tracks then came back to the dirt. This year they are back to back and I think that’s the way it should be. Both races will be good and competitive but I want to get through Springfield first before thinking ahead to DuQuoin.”

On The Bill France Triple Crown: “It’s an award that every driver would like to win. The award tests your talent and luck on several different types of track that the ARCA RE/MAX Series competes on. We were in contention last year but lost the battle. With the improvement of our team this year, I hope we can pull it off.”

Sheltra Motorsports, Nashville Superspeedway Pre-Race Quotes:
Grace Sheltra, owner of the No. 60 Ferguson Pipe Enterprises-FloraGanics Dodge:

On Nashville: “Nashville was full of ups and downs for the Sheltra Motorsports team and our marketing partners. However, with the good comes the bad and we were able to battle back and grab a top-10 finish. No one on the team gave up and it showed with the finish at Nashville. It had been four races since we had a top-10 finish, so we deserved it.”

On Illinois State Fairgrounds: “It’s off to the dirt. Obviously, Patrick has a lot of reasons to be excited for the race this weekend. We’re confident in the car that we are bringing and with the momentum we have from Pocono and Nashville, we hope that we can secure our first win Sunday afternoon.”

PRIOR RESULTS:
Patrick Sheltra, Illinois State Fairgrounds Prior ARCA Performance Record:
Date Event Start Finish Laps Status
08/07 Allen Crowe 100 9 3 100/100 Running

The Allen Crowe 100 (100 miles/100 laps) is the 15th of 21 events on the 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule. The 26th ARCA event held at Illinois State Fairgrounds is a one-day show. Practice begins Sunday, August 17 with a one hour practice session planned from 9:00 a.m.- 10:00 a.m. ARCA SIM Factory pole 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 event will be tape-delayed on MavTV (August 22nd at 8:00 p.m.) but additional race coverage including live timing and scoring and radio coverage courtesy of the ARCA Radio Network will be available online at arcaracing.com. All times are local.

Fast Links:
Driver/Team: Patrick Sheltra on the web: PatrickSheltra.com
Sanction: ARCA RE/MAX Series: ARCARacing.com

About Sheltra Motorsports:
Sheltra Motorsports (sheltramotorsports.com) is a three-tier Motorsports operation consisting of dirt and asphalt competition. Patrick Sheltra, a 22-year old native of Indiantown, Florida competes in the UMP and WoO (Dirt) Series; while also running a full schedule in the ARCA RE/MAX Series (No. 60) and a limited schedule in NASCAR. 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 Whitesville, Kentucky.

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TEAM COMMUNICATIONS CONTACT:
NAME: Chris Knight, Sheltra Motorsports
PHONE: 239.834.9797 or 830.261.1215
EMAIL: knight849@aol.com