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ARCA Nation News
Patrick Sheltra Fast Facts to Pocono
Patrick
Sheltra, No. 60 Recycling Services / Ferguson Pipe Toyota Camry,
Weis Markets 125 Fast
ARCA Racing Series Race No. 11, Weis Markets 125,
Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, Long Pond, Pennsylvania
Race Information: Event: Weis Markets 125, Saturday, July 31 at 3:00 p.m. Local Time Track: Pocono (Pa.) Raceway Qualifying: Friday, July 30, at 1:40 p.m. Local Time; Track Length: 2.5-mile paved-triangle.
Last Time Out; Mansfield Motorsports Park: For the second consecutive ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards race, Patrick Sheltra and his Jon Wolfe led-Sheltra Motorsports were bitten by bad luck as rear-end gremlins bit the Mooresville, North Carolina operation 92 laps into the 200-lap Tim Richmond Memorial ARCA 200 at Mansfield Motorsports Park. Sheltra had to settle for a 21st, place finish tying his inaugural Mansfield performance in 2009.
Returning Back To The Long Pond: The Indiantown, Florida native will make his ninth start at the popular triangle race course and aim for his third top-five finish this weekend. In his previous eight efforts, Sheltra has acquired a track best of third last June while mounting a strong fourth place outing in his recent trip to Long Pond in June. Qualifying though has not been a downfall for the popular driver as Sheltra has nailed six top-15 qualifying runs including a track best of sixth in the spring race of this year.
Moving Forward Again: For the seventh time in his ARCA career, 24-year old Patrick Sheltra will pilot a Toyota Camry in Saturday’s contest. Sheltra competed under the Japanese banner at Texas Motor Speedway in April where Sheltra revived himself from being collected in an early race incident to score a solid seventh place finish. Sheltra also piloted a Toyota Camry to two of his five top-five finishes of the year seven weeks ago at Pocono and a week later at Michigan International Speedway with a third-place outing. Additionally, the team ran a Camry at Iowa Speedway earlier this month before engine failure while locked in the top-10 resulted in a disappointing finish. Last season under the guidance of NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship organization Germain Racing, Sheltra hoisted a Camry at Michigan International Speedway and at the season-finale at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway.
Tricky Triangle Fast Fact: Did you know that when Sheltra made his first career ARCA Racing Series start at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, he piloted the No. 99 FloraGanics / Brady Ranch Dodge Charger for renowned racing competitor Ken Schrader. Sheltra started 21st but finished 22nd after being swept into an incident just seven laps from the finish in June of 2006. From there, Sheltra has been able to rebound and post seven consecutive top-15 starting positions and five top-12 finishes including a track best of third last June (2009) in eight additional starts.
Jarrett Back On The Horn: Veteran spotter and former ARCA Racing Series driver Jason Jarrett will spot for Sheltra in Saturday’s Weis Markets 125. Jarrett, the son of two-time Daytona 500 champion and former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Dale Jarrett spotted for Sheltra in his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway in 2007. Jarrett also guided Sheltra to a stout fifth place run in the season opener at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, a seventh place finish at Texas Motor Speedway in April and most recently a season-best second place finish a week later at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Jarrett, a two-time ARCA winner has 10 prior starts at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway with a career track best finish of second, twice in 2002 driving for ML Motorsports. Before concentrating on the No. 60 machine of Sheltra for race number 11, Jarrett will spot in the inaugural NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event at Pocono for Germain Racing.
Mad Dash With The Gas: For the first time in Sheltra’s ARCA Racing Series Pocono (Pa.) Raceway history, the traditional summer event at the 2.5-mile triangle will not be a 200-mile, 80 lap event. With the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) making their first ever appearance to the Pocono mountains, track and series officials opted to shorten the race length and distance in order to give the fans a double-header feature. The teams will now compete for 50 laps or 125 miles following the conclusion of the Pocono Mountains 125 for the NCWTS.
Summer Stretch Kicks Off In Full Gear: After a leisure starting scheduling for the 2010 ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards season, Sheltra and his competitors are gearing up for a grueling stretch of 10 races in 11 weeks which begins this weekend at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. The teams will now battle a mixture of speedways, short tracks, two dirt tracks and one road course with all the roads leading to the American 200 at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway for the running of the ARCA Racing Series season finale on Saturday, October 9.
Closing In On A Record: While eclipsing his fifth top-five finish of the year at Michigan International Speedway last month, Patrick Sheltra holds a new record for the number of finishes inside the top-five for a full-season. In his previous three full-time seasons, Sheltra has posted a season high of four top-five finishes including in 2009. Sheltra personal best of nine top-10 finishes in 2008 is on the verge of being collapsed with Sheltra aiming for nine top-10s in 11 events in 2010. Sheltra is expected to set a new personal season stat record with 10 races remaining this year.
Point’s Check: 10 races down, 10 to go, Sheltra with the guidance of crew chief Jon Wolfe sits fourth in the ARCA Racing Series championship standings accumulating 2345 points and 125 markers behind current leader Justin Marks. The 24-year old Sheltra also controls the fourth position in the ARS car owner standings. After the most recent ARCA event at Mansfield Motorsports Park, Sheltra slipped to fourth in the championship chase after holding the top-spot for three consecutive races (Toledo, Michigan and Pocono) in a row after also sharing the top-spot with Parker Kligerman for one race (Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway) in 2009.
Nice Stats: By posting his eighth top-10 finish of the season at Michigan International Speedway (MIS) on June 11, Sheltra remains the only ARCA Racing Series driver to finish inside the top-10 in eight of the 10 races thus far in 2010. Sheltra kicked off his strongest start to an ARCA season with a fifth place performance at Daytona, a 10th place performance at Palm Beach, a fourth place run at Salem Speedway, a seventh place outing at Texas Motor Speedway, his season-best second at ‘Dega, an eighth at Toledo Speedway, a fourth place run at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway and most recently a third place outing in the Racing for Wildlife 200 at MIS for round number eight.
Patrick Sheltra ARCA Career At-A-Glance: Entering Pocono, Sheltra has 77 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 15 top-fives and posted 30 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 six times for 148 laps.
Marketing Partnerships Still Available: 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@patricksheltra.com or marketing@patricksheltra.com.
Are You In The Know?: Patrick Sheltra and Sheltra Motorsports are proud to be apart of the Facebook and Twitter cravings. If you have an account, join our club as the Sheltra Motorsports team drives towards winning the 2010 ARCA Racing Series championship.
Vote Him Your Favorite Driver: Race fans can vote Patrick Sheltra as the 2010 ARCA Racing Series most popular driver by visiting ARCANation.com. From now until the end of the season, race fans can click on to ARCA’s official fan-related web site and vote once a day for their favorite ARCA Racing Series driver. The winner will be announced at the ARCA Racing Series Championship Awards Banquet in Covington, Kentucky this December. If you’re an ARCA Nation member your vote counts twice per day for one driver. If you’re a non-ARCA Nation member, your vote counts only once. Sign up today at ARCANation.com and vote for Patrick Sheltra!
Sheltra Motorsports, Pocono Raceway Pre-Race Quotes: Patrick Sheltra, driver / owner of the No. 60 Recycling Services / Ferguson Pipe Toyota Camry
On Mansfield Motorsports Park: “Mansfield has not been good to me the last two years. I can’t control that, I guess it’s just one of those tracks you just can’t ever seem to have any luck. The car was good and we were making some serious progress but as quick as I thought it was going to be a good night, it went the other way just as fast.”
On Pocono Raceway: “Pocono is such a great place to race. It’s one of those race tracks that’s not easy to drive but is a lot of fun. We had a super car there in June and I think we’ll have a stout hotrod this weekend. I have a gut feeling that this could be our weekend.”
On The Recent Bad Luck: “Everyone is going to have their problems throughout the year. Unfortunately, our setbacks have occurred in two straight races and we took a dive in points. We’re still focused as ever and committed to winning this championship. We’ll rebound and be better than ever.”
On The Shorter (50 Laps) At Pocono: “Really, it stinks. I don’t think 80 laps is enough and now we’re being cut to 50 laps. I’m all for bringing the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to a new venue, especially Pocono but it’s disappointing because I think you’ll see a different type of race than what we had in June because of the distance.”
On Points: “We’re down but no way near out. We still have a long way to go this year. 10 races left and anything can really happen. It’s been proven that one bad race can literally mean the difference of leading to sliding back down the pylon. No doubt that this championship race won’t be easy but I have a feeling it’s really going to boil down to luck and consistency.”
Sheltra Motorsports, Pocono Raceway Pre-Race Quotes: Jon Wolfe, crew chief of the No. 60 Recycling Services / Ferguson Pipe Toyota Camry
On Returning To Pocono Raceway This Weekend: “We had a great run earlier this year at Pocono and really felt like we had a shot to win. A flat tire got us behind and came up just short of a great comeback. We are taking the same Toyota that we ran in the first race, so we’re definitely pumped for this one.”
On Rebounding From Iowa Speedway and Mansfield Motorsports Park: “As racers we learn to deal with ups and downs, we keep our focus and forge ahead. We still have a mission to accomplish and we’ll continue to work hard towards reaching our goals.”
On Attacking A 50-Lap Race At Pocono Raceway: “I think the two things to focus on are one you will not have many opportunities to tune your car on pit stops, so it better be right from the start. Second, Patrick (Sheltra) will have to run hard from the drop of the green flag, no playing safe till the end.”
On Any Potential Track Changes From The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Event Run Before The Weis Markets 125: “The track surface will be a little different for a few laps at the start of our race, but once we lay down some Hoosier rubber the cars will react the same.”
On The Grueling Stretch Of 10 Races In 11 Weeks: “Our guys have been digging hard to prep cars for this stretch, the biggest hurdle is the fact that we will run such a diverse range of tracks over the next few months. We have to have four different types of cars prepared plus back ups for each style track. But also some of the more important preparation is mental, keeping our minds in focus and our families taken care of as they deal with us being gone for most of the time.”
PRIOR RESULTS:
Patrick Sheltra, Pocono Raceway Prior ARCA Performance Record:
Date Event Start Finish Laps Status
06/06 Pocono 200 21 22 81/88 Accident
06/07 Pocono 200 15 24 78/80 Running
08/07 Pennsylvania 200 9 11 80/80 Running
06/08 Pocono 200 15 33 34/88 Engine
08/08 Pennsylvania 200 13 12 80/80 Running
06/09 Pocono 200 8 3 80/80 Running
08/09 Pennsylvania 200 10 11 81/82 Running
06/10 Messina Wildlife 200 6 4 80/80 Running
The Weis Markets 125 (50 laps / 125 miles) is the 11th of 20 events on the 2010 ARCA Racing Series schedule. The 51st ARCA race at Pocono Raceway is a two-day show. Practice begins Friday, July 30 with an hour and forty minute practice session planned from 10:15 a.m. - 11:55 a.m. Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying is set for later in the day slated to begin at 1:40 p.m. The event will take the green flag on Saturday, July 31 shortly after 3:00 p.m. The event will be televised live on SPEED with additional weekend (practice / qualifying) and race coverage broadcasted live through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com presented by ARCANation.com. All times are local.
Fast Links:
Driver / Team: Patrick Sheltra on the web: PatrickSheltra.com
Sanction: ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards: ARCARacing.com
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:
NAME: Chris Knight, Sheltra Motorsports
PHONE: 239.834.9797 / 239.214.1083
EMAIL: chris@patricksheltra.com
George Looking to Peak in the Pocono Mountains
(MOORESVILLE,
N.C. - July 29, 2010) - After a week hiatus, the ARCA Racing Series presented by
RE/MAX and Menards Series returns to action at Pocono Raceway this Saturday,
July 31. Tim George Jr., driver of the No. 31 Richard Childress Racing
Development Chevrolet, will make his second start of the season on the 2.5-mile
triangle in Long Pond (Pa.) when the ARCA Racing Series hits the track for the
Weiss Markets 125 at Pocono Raceway.
"I'm really stoked to get back to Pocono Raceway," said George. "It will be the fourth time I have been to this track, and last year the track was perhaps my least favorite and now I love it! I think my crew chief, Gere Kennon has figured out what I need go get my confidence up and be consistent."
George's confidence comes in the form of Chassis No. 120, the same car that George drove to a 10th-place finish at Pocono in June after qualifying in eighth. His No. 31 RCR Development Chevrolet chassis has been a staple to strong finishes as George finished 13th at Texas Motor Speedway with this Impala.
The June race at Pocono proved to be good to the New York, N.Y. native, as he earned his career-best Pocono finish. With team owner Richard Childress encouraging him, George qualified the No. 31 solidly in the eighth position. Running in the top-10 nearly all day in the June edition - George is looking forward to round two at the famous "Tricky Triangle". He also has two finishes of 19th at Pocono in 2009.
Two weeks after finishing fourth-place at Mansfield Motorsports Park, 29-year old George is anxious for Pocono Raceway. The team has been very successful in recent weeks unloading strong cars at every track. Look for the No. 31 RCR Development machine to be a factor up front this weekend in the Weiss Markets 125. George is hungry and is looking forward to running hard this weekend.
Coverage for this weekend's events at Pocono begins on Friday, July 30 with live practice coverage on ARCARacing.com , beginning at 10:15 am EST followed by qualifying beginning at 1:40 pm. Race coverage of the Weis Markets 125 airing on SPEED Channel at 3:00 p.m. EST on Saturday, July 31. The Live streaming audio will be featured on the ARCA Racing Network. LIVE updates on Tim George Jr. all weekend by following @TimGeorgeJr on Twitter and TimGeorgeJrRacing on Facebook.
activ8 communications Courtney C. McGarry
Public Relations Account Manager
704.728.3757
courtney@goactiv8.com
Cunningham Motorsports Ready To Take On The Tricky Triangle
(LONG POND, Pa. -
July 29, 2010) - Ready to take on the second half of the ARCA Racing Series
presented by RE/Max and Menards 2010 season, Dakoda Armstrong and the#22
Ferrellgas team have 2 consecutive top-5 finishes in their last 2 outings, a
fourth place at Iowa Speedway and a fifth spot at Mansfield Motorsports
Park. The Weis Markets 125 will be Armstrong’s third race at the Pocono
Raceway. In June, Armstrong finished 8th and had a 29th
place finish in 2009, when he crashed after losing a motor and catching
on fire.
Dakoda Quotes
The ARCA Racing Series has 10 races coming up in the next 11 weeks. How are you planning for that?
“Since I graduated from high school in June, where I was participating in training with our track team, I am no longer working out. I am going to start on a personal training program. With that many races in that short period of time, the variety of different tracks and the extreme heat that we have been experiencing, I am sure I will benefit from working out.”
You have been to Pocono Raceway 2 previous times, with an 8th place finish in June and an 29th in 2009. What are your thoughts about returning?
“I love the track—it is a lot of fun. We are bringing a different car to Pocono than we had in June. It is the car that Parker (Kligerman) drove last year. Since this race is only a 50 lap race, qualifying and starting up front will be key. We are expecting to run better than in June and are excited to be able to try to make up some points.”
Tom Hessert
Hessert and the #77 Cherry Hill Classic Cars Dodge head back to Pocono Raceway for the second visit of the 2010 season hoping to complete what they couldn’t finish in June. Early in the June race, Hessert had a throttle sticking and as a result of the necessary repairs fell down a couple of laps. After the carburetor change, the Cunningham Motorsports car raced well, finishing 19th. When the #77 Dodge takes to the 2.5 mile track for the Weis Markets 125, the team looks to re-assert themselves as contenders for the championship. In the last 2 outings for the team, Tom posted his first ARCA Series victory at Iowa Speedway and a disappointing 8th place finish at Mansfield Motorsports Park, where Hessert thought he could make it two in a row. Going into the 50 lap event, Hessert finds himself tied for fourth in points, with Patrick Sheltra, 125 points out of first.
Tom Quotes
The ARCA Racing Series has 10 races coming up in the next 11 weeks. How are you planning for that?
“Hydration is the main key-just like for most races. The heat doesn’t affect me a lot as long as I am well hydrated. We will have some hot races in August that will test all of my team.”
You have raced 5 previous times at Pocono Raceway, with 2 top-10 finishes. What are your thoughts about returning?
“I am really looking forward to returning to Pocono. We had such a good car in June at Pocono, but had to come down pit road a few extra times, which dropped our finishing spot. We had a top-3 car, but finished 19th, due to our problems. We are bringing the car that I won with at Iowa Speedway. I can’t wait to run this car again.”
Twitter---Follow Cunningham Motorsports on their official Twitter page--@cunningham_race.
Racing Events--On-track activity begins Friday, July 30, with live timing and scoring and live audio coverage of practice from 10:15-11:55 am EST and qualifying at 1:40 pm EST available at www.ARCARacing.com. Catch the live flag-to-flag coverage of the Weis Markets 125 on Saturday, July 31, beginning at 3 pm EST on SPEED.
Hackenbracht Returns to Pocono Raceway
(CONCORD, N.C.
- July 29, 2010) - Chad is returning to one of his favorite tracks on
the ARCA schedule and is looking forward to a good run. In June, Chad qualified
16th and cracked the top 10 prior to a mechanical failure in the engine at
Pocono Raceway for the Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 200. Chad is looking to
improve at Pocono for the Weis Markets 125 on Saturday July 31st.
Chad’s return to Pocono will mark his sixth start in the ARCA series where he currently sits 29th in points running only 5 out of 10 possible races. “I am really excited to race at Pocono Raceway. I feel we have a pretty good chance at a top 10 finish,” stated Chad Hackenbracht driver of the #58 Tastee Apple Chevrolet.
“Chad had a great run going at the Tricky Triangle and was continuing to make progress running times as fast as the leader before the motor gave way. I was really proud of everything Chad accomplished last time at Pocono Raceway and look forward to seeing improvements this weekend,” stated Rodney Jockisch Crew Chief
As we continue to look to fund Chad’s efforts for the remainder of 2010 and 2011 we are confident that he will represent the companies that come aboard with the greatest efforts. Chad is a young man that is full of confidence and will continue building upon his efforts in 2010 looking forward to the future with CGH Motorsports.
CGH Motorsports Team was officially started in early 2008 by Greg and Chad Hackenbracht. It has always been our goal to do it better for less and be the one to lead the way with no challenge too big to conquer. With the goals put forth the team finds itself growing at a very fast pace. CGH Motorsports provides a one stop shop for sponsors to get in the sport makes this overcomplicated sport simple.
For more information on CGH Motorsports or if you would like to sponsor Chad please contact Jordan Dahl at 570-234-5449 or visit us at www.cghmotorsports.com.
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