| Sheltra & Co. Lock Fourth Fastest
In Lone Practice Session At Rockingham
“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.
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.
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 (Official
Patrick Sheltra Fan Page) by clicking here. Tweet with Patrick
Sheltra on Twitter (@patricksheltra) at twitter.com/patricksheltra.
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.
TEAM COMMUNICATIONS CONTACT:
Chris Knight, Sheltra Motorsports
P: 239.834.9797
E: chris@patricksheltra.com
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