After suffering three straight tough finishes in the ARCA RE/MAX Series, sophomore driver Patrick Sheltra turns to Pocono Raceway for a return inside the top-10 while also hoping to make a dent in the ARCA RE/MAX Series point standings in Saturdays Pennsylvania 200.
Unloading competitive and fast havent been an issue for the second year Sheltra Motorsports team but misfortune during the races including an overheating issue in last Saturdays ARCA RE/MAX 200 from Berlin Raceway have dropped the team from seventh to 10th in points since their last top-10 finish at Michigan International Speedway in June.
Returning back to the 2.5-triangular Pocono Raceway, Sheltra is ready for a good run and inch his way forward with the 2008 season slowly looking for the checkered flag. In his most recent start at Pocono Raceway, Sheltra overcame mechanical issues in practice and ARCA SIM Factory pole qualifying to charge to an impressive fourth place. Subsequently, while inching forward through the field the engine exploded underneath the teams Dodge Charger, resulting in a disappointing 33rd place finish.
With his fifth start at Pocono Raceway on the horizon, Sheltra is ready to accelerate past his personal best finish of 11th occurring in last years Pennsylvania 200 and notching his sixth top-10 finish of the 2008 season.
We need a break and hopefully it will come this weekend at Pocono, said Sheltra, who hails from Indiantown, Florida. I enjoy coming to Pocono but whatever reason we havent been able to secure the finishes we deserve. The most important element this weekend is to shake off this string of bad luck and put our team back on the map.
For the sixth time this season, Sheltra and his Whitesville, Kentucky based Sheltra Motorsports operation will bring a Dodge Charger to the track. With three top-10s already in the books under the Dodge banner, the team is hoping to record their first top-five under the Chrysler nameplate. The team answered their inaugural debut with Dodge with a respectable eighth place finish at Kansas Speedway. A week later the team proved that the finish was no fluke as Sheltra steered through late race carnage and confusion at Kentucky Speedway to record an seventh place finish. Last month, Sheltra mounted his best finish in a Charger after recording a sixth place finish at the two-mile oval of Michigan International Speedway. The new manufacturer also catapulted Sheltra to record a career best qualifying effort (Kansas) while also leading the field for four laps at the 1.5-mile race track of Kansas Speedway.
Our Dodge program has been the right move for the team, despite some of the finishes. Weve been in contention for top-10 finishes when weve had the hiccups, but we also know that this is racing and you have to be prepared for anything.
Crew Chief John Hayden has elected to bring Sheltra Motorsports chassis number 11 to Pocono Raceway this weekend. This is the same automobile the team participated with in the Pocono 200 in June. Chassis number 15 will serve as the teams back-up automobile. The team ran that model at the open ARCA RE/MAX Series test and race at Michigan International Speedway in June.
Sheltra sounded, The motor is fixed from our last race here and were ready to pick up where we left off and be in the hunt for the win. Everyone deserves it and would be the motivation this team needs to get back to our early season success.
With a recent drop in the ARCA RE/MAX Series point standings, Sheltra is well aware that every point counts and hopes to utilize the 13th ARCA event of the season to make a serious climb in the ladder.
Were behind and its going to take effort from every member of the Sheltra Motorsports team to help make the march forward in the standings. There is little doubt in my mind that my guys will give anything less than 150 percent at the track and Im confident when the season concludes in Toledo, well all be satisfied with our position in the standings.
Entering Pocono, Sheltra has 37 ARCA RE/MAX Series starts to his credit with a career best finish of second at Toledo Speedway (May 2008) with two additional top-five finishes (third) at Illinois State Fairgrounds (August 2007), (fourth) at Berlin Raceway (July 2007) while holding additional top-10s at Michigan International Speedway (June 2008), Kentucky Speedway (May 2008), Kansas Speedway (April 2008), Iowa Speedway (April 2008), Kentucky Speedway (June 2007), DuQuoin State Fairgrounds (September 2007) and Toledo Speedway (October 2007). An eighth place qualifying effort at Kansas Speedway (April 2008) is Sheltras best time trials efforts to date. He has controlled the ARCA field twice for 15 laps.
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