| Patrick Sheltra Hungry For Victory At Springfield
SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (August 20, 2009) - - The first of
two dirt races are upon the ARCA RE/MAX Series this weekend
starting with the Illinois State Fairgrounds and without
hesitation it would be easy to pick Patrick Sheltra and
his Whitesville, Kentucky based Sheltra Motorsports team
as a pre-race favorite for Sunday’s Allen Crowe 100.
And with the 2009 season beginning to wind down and just
eight races left on the homestretch – Sheltra is aiming
to put his veteran team back in victory circle at a place
that Sheltra calls one of his “favorites” on
the tour.
“Welcome to my turf,” said Sheltra when refereeing
to the Springfield, Illinois race track. “I say that
every year but I really enjoy these dirt races on the ARCA
schedule. I finished third here in 2007 and last year we
had a car capable of winning the race but were stalled with
a flat tire. This year, its bottom’s up and we’re
determined to put our team back where they belong, victory
lane.”
With an aggressive six race schedule packed within a month’s
time, Sheltra knows that kicking off the string with a positive
run can put his team back on the path towards blossoming
to the front.
“I think these dirt races are what the racing doctor
ordered,” sounded Sheltra. “Our team as a whole
is excited about Springfield and DuQuoin because we know
our chances of winning there increase tremendously. While
I’m confident we have a shot at being victorious this
weekend, the field is going to be strong which should put
on a great event for the fans.”
At this same point last year, Sheltra was securing the
10th place position in the ARCA RE/MAX Series championship
chase with just six races remaining. This year, Sheltra
is eighth on the tour with eight races remaining. Sheltra
was able to produce strong finishes inside those final half-dozen
races last year which propelled the avid hunter to a career
best sixth in the championship chase. This year, finishing
inside the top-five is still realistic but it will take
a never give-up attitude and a little luck to make it happen.
“This team is not going to give up, that’s
a promise,” added the Indiantown, Florida native.
“I feel we have some very strong tracks coming our
way that we should excel at. As a team, we’ve set
the goal for winning a couple more races and finishing inside
the top-five. Realistically, we can make it happen!”
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 the Illinois State Fairgrounds last year and notched
a runner-up finish at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds. The
team converted the former Dale Earnhardt, Inc. automobile
to a Dodge Charger during the last year. It will be run
for just the seventh time in the 23-year old’s career.
Chassis number 16 will serve as the team’s back-up
automobile. That former Richard Childress Racing entry is
a new addition to the team’s fleet. The Whitesville,
Kentucky based team tested this Dodge Charger at Michigan
International Speedway in May.
Entering Springfield, Sheltra has 59 ARCA RE/MAX Series
starts to his credit with one career victory at Salem Speedway
(April 2009). During his ARCA tenure, Sheltra has accumulated
nine top-fives and posted 19 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 Allen Crowe 100 (100 miles / 100 laps) is the 14th
of 21 events on the 2009 ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule. The
27th ARCA event held at Illinois State Fairgrounds is a
one-day show. Practice begins Sunday, August 23 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 event will not be televised
but broadcast coverage will be available live through the
ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com. All
times are local.
For more on Patrick Sheltra, the Sheltra Motorsports team
and marketing partnership opportunities please visit PatrickSheltra.com.
For additional input on Buffalo Wings & Rings, please
connect to Buffalowingsandrings.com or call 513.831.WING.
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 RE/MAX Series (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 Whitesville, Kentucky.
About Buffalo Wings &
Rings:
Buffalo Wings & Rings is the fastest-growing privately
owned franchised chain of restaurants in the nation serving
Buffalo-style chicken wings, onion rings, burgers, chicken
and salads. Founded in 1988 in Cincinnati, OH, Buffalo Wings
& Rings operates 49 franchised restaurants in the United
States. Buffalo Wings & Rings was ranked the #1 fastest
growing restaurant chain nationwide in the July 2008 issue
of Restaurant Business, and ranked in the top 500 franchises
in the January 2009 issue of Entrepreneur. For more information,
visit www.buffalowingsandrings.com or call 513-831-WING.
TEAM COMMUNICATIONS CONTACT:
Chris Knight, Sheltra Motorsports
P: 239.834.9797
E: chris@patricksheltra.com
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