Patrick Sheltra Looks To Resurrect Season At Iowa

Patrick Sheltra Looks To Resurrect  Season At Iowa

“Sheltra Motorsports To Also Pay  Tribute To Matt Hawkins In Prairie
Meadows 200�??

NEWTON, Iowa (July 8, 2009) - - It’s not a secret  that Patrick Sheltra and
his Sheltra Motorsports team have suffered  disappointment in the last two
ARCA RE/MAX Series events at Michigan  International Speedway and Mansfield
Motorsports Park but after a break to catch  their breath and refocus, the
team heads to Iowa Speedway looking to put  themselves back in victory circle
in Saturday night’s Prairie Meadows  200.
The finishes have the team down  but not out. With the half-way mark
quickly approaching the teams for the 2009  ARCA season, the Whitesville, Kentucky
team feels that they’ve experienced their  fair share of bad luck and hope
that Iowa resurrects their season and puts the  No. 60 Buffalo Wings & Rings
Dodge Charger up front and in contention.
Sheltra and Co. participated in  the open test at Iowa Speedway last week
and while the team led by crew chief  John Hayden struggled for much of the
day, the third year ARCA team hit the  jackpot late in the eight hour test
and found a setup they feel will put the  team back in victory lane since
taking the top honors at Salem Speedway in  April.
“We’re ready for Iowa. We hope  Iowa is ready for us,�?? said Sheltra, who
made his third career NASCAR Nationwide  Series start at Daytona
International Speedway last Friday night. “We’ve  experienced some foul luck as of
late. It has rattled the team’s confidence but  we are one of the hardest
working team in the ARCA garage and we will get  through this spell of bad luck
and put this team back in contention mode.�??
The Indiantown, Florida native  added, “The Iowa test turned out to be a
success for us,�?? Sheltra said. “We were  fighting ourselves for most of the
day but then we threw the bathroom sink at  the car and it worked. We know
where we need to start when we have practice on  Friday afternoon, so I think
you’ll find the Buffalo Wings & Rings car fast  right off the truck.�??
Sheltra has two prior ARCA RE/MAX  Series starts at the .875-mile track
with a best effort of ninth occurring in  last year’s Prairie Meadows 250.
While some would be happy with a top-10 run,  Sheltra wasn’t satisfied which
prompted the team to partake in the ARCA  sanctioned test.
“The cancellation of the ARCA race  at Cayuga was a blessing in disguise,�??
sounded Sheltra. “Because of the hectic  schedule we weren’t going to test
at Iowa but because of the race getting  dropped, we concentrated all of
our efforts on the Iowa test. We’ve been good at  Iowa in the past but not
great. This year you have to be great to finish in the  top-five. Testing at
Iowa last week should pay off for us in a big way.�??
Currently occupying the eighth  position, the lowest spot since holding the
14th position after  Daytona, Sheltra seeks his fourth top-five finish of
the season to gain some  points to inch up the ladder in the ARCA RE/MAX
Series Championship chase.
“There’s still a long way to go  and Iowa presents a opportunity for us to
starting reeling in the points we  lost,�?? mentioned Sheltra. “You have to
think of Iowa like any other short track,  surviving. Iowa can be forgiving
but you have to keep all the fenders on the car  and stay out of the mess.
If we can do that, we should be rewarded all the way  around.�??
While Sheltra is focused with the  agenda on hand this weekend, Sheltra and
his posse are also reflecting and  remembering last year’s Prairie Meadows
250 winner Matt Hawkins who died of an  accidental gun discharge in
February. Hawkins and Sheltra raced together during  the course of the 2008 season
and Sheltra misses the competitiveness that  Hawkins brought to the table.
To offer their remembrance, the  team will carry a decal “In Memory of Matt
Hawkins�?? this weekend at Iowa.
“Matt Hawkins was a great racecar  driver,�?? offered Sheltra. “We raced
several times together last year and while  we raced each other extremely hard,
we never touched. He was a great competitor  for the ARCA RE/MAX Series and
we miss seeing his face at the track. We’re going  to try and win the race
this weekend for our marketing partners but also in  honor of Matt as well.�??

Crew Chief John Hayden has elected  to bring Sheltra chassis number 11 to
Iowa Speedway this weekend. The  primary machine will be the same Dodge that
Sheltra wheeled to a podium finish  of third at Pocono Raceway last month.
The former Penske Racing automobile will  be run for just the fourth time in
Sheltra’s ARCA 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. It has yet to see any ARCA
race  competition.
Entering  Iowa, Sheltra has 55 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 18 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  Prairie Meadows 200 (200 laps / 175 miles) is the 10th of 21 events
on the 2009 ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule. The fourth ever ARCA race at Iowa
Speedway is a two-day show. Practice begins Friday July 10 with an  hour and
half practice session planned from 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Menards Pole  by
Ansell qualifying is set for Saturday, July 11 slated to begin at 4:00 p.m.
The event will take the green flag shortly after 8:00  p.m. The event will
not be televised however flag-to-flag coverage will be  broadcasted live
through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at _arcaracing.com_
(http://www.arcaracing.com/) .  All times are local.
For  more on Patrick Sheltra, please visit  _PatrickSheltra.com_
(http://www.patricksheltra.com/) .
For additional input  on Buffalo Wings & Rings, please connect to
_Buffalowingsandrings.com_ (http://www.buffalowingsandrings.com/)  or call
513.831.WING.
About  Sheltra Motorsports:
Sheltra  Motorsports (_sheltramotorsports.com_
(http://www.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 44 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_
(http://www.buffalowingsandrings.com/)  or call  513-831-WING.
###
TEAM  COMMUNICATIONS CONTACT:
NAME: Chris  Knight, Sheltra Motorsports
PHONE: 239.834.9797  or 239.214.1083
EMAIL:
(mailto:%20%20\n%20%20%20This%20email%20address%20is%20being%20protected%20from%20
spam%20bots,%20you%20need%20Javascript%20enabled%20to%20view%20it%20%20%20)
chris@patricksheltra.com



**************Looking for love this summer? Find it now on AOL Personals.
(http://personals.aol.com/?ncid=emlcntuslove00000003)