Sheltra Solid In Round One Of Practice

MILLVILLE, August 14, 2010: Not particularly known for his road racing skills, ARCA Racing Series (ARS) presented by RE/MAX and Menards driver Patrick Sheltra was able to negotiate the ninth fastest practice lap in the first of two practice sessions today at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) in preparation for the 13th ARCA race of the year, the Garden State ARCA 150 presented by American Red Cross set for Sunday August 15.

It was Sheltra’s first time at NJMP where he was able to maneuver his Chevrolet bow-tie into the top-10 in five previous practice sessions held at the three-year old road course. The team ran 12 laps overall in the hour and a half session.

Making his third appearance at the 2.25-mile road course, Sheltra arrived at the Millville, New Jersey race course cautiously optimistic about his fourth ever attempt on a road course which consists of making both left and right turns.

Climbing from his No. 60 Sheltra Motorsports Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS after practice early Saturday afternoon, the Indiantown, Florida native was upbeat about the team’s overall performance thus far.

“We can’t really complain about where we are sitting,” said Sheltra, who circled the track in 85.743 seconds or 94.468 miles per hour. “We were one of the first cars to go out and to stay solidly in the top-10 is something to be proud of as far as I’m concerned.”

The 24-year old Sheltra continued, “This is the same Chevrolet we had at Palm Beach earlier this year and we’ve worked on it throughout the year hoping to find a few little thinks that could help us performance wise here for New Jersey. Overall, I’m really comfortable with the car; we just need to keep making a few little tweaks and we’re going to be just fine.”

The four year ARCA pro will take nearly an hour break to consult with crew chief Jon Wolfe and his Sheltra Motorsports crew about potentially making some adjustments that will aid the ARCA Racing Series championship contender driver to find additional speed in the second and final round of practice set to begin at 1:35 p.m. Eastern.

“The more I’m on the track, the more I learn and the faster we seem to get,” explained Sheltra, who will make his 80th career ARCA start tomorrow. “Jon (Wolfe, crew chief) has been here with Andy (Lally) before and he (Andy) knows what it takes to run up front on road course. Jon has already given me advice that has helped me tremendously so far today. I confidently think we have a car that’s capable of qualifying and finishing comfortably in the top-10, we just need to keep on track the rest of the weekend and keep ourselves in this championship chase.”

Sheltra will pilot the No. 60 Recycling Services / Ferguson Pipe Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS for this weekend’s contest. It will be the second and final time in 2010 that the Mooresville, North Carolina team will carry the legendary bow-tie as its primary choice of manufacturer.

Multiple cost-effective marketing partnership packages are still available for the 2010 ARCA Racing Series and NASCAR seasons for Patrick Sheltra. Let Sheltra Motorsports show you how to find victory lane in more ways than one! For additional information on how to be apart of our winning organization, please contact Brandon Hinson (brandon@patricksheltra.com) or email marketing@patricksheltra.com.

Entering New Jersey, Sheltra has 79 ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards starts to his credit with one career victory at Salem (Ind.) Speedway (April 2009). During his ARCA tenure, Sheltra has accumulated 16 top-fives and posted 32 top-10 finishes. A third place qualifying effort at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway (April 2009) and Michigan International Speedway (June 2010) is Sheltra’s best time trials effort to date. He has controlled the ARCA field seven times for 173 laps.

The Garden State ARCA 150 presented by American Red Cross (67 laps / 150 miles) is the 13th of 20 events on the 2010 ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards schedule. The third ARCA event held at the New Jersey Motorsports Park is a two-day show. Practice begins Saturday, August 14. A final “happy hour” session has been etched in from 1:35 p.m. – 2:35 p.m. Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying is slated to begin at 4:30 p.m. The field will take the green flag on Sunday, August 15 shortly after 1:00 p.m. The race will not be televised but race coverage including live timing and scoring throughout the weekend will be available through the BAS Racing Network in conjunction with the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com presented by ARCANation.com. All times are local.