Patrick Sheltra; Sheltra Motorsports To Pay Tribute In Daytona

Topics:  Patrick Sheltra, Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200

Chris Knight
Sheltra Motorsports
February 3, 2010

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (February 3, 2010) - - When Patrick Sheltra straps in to his No. 60 PowerTrac Machinery Dodge Charger Saturday afternoon at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway for the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200, there is little thought that the Indiantown, Florida native won’t have a co-pilot in his bid for his first career ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards superspeedway victory.

The Sheltra Motorsports team will celebrate the life of six-year old Nicholas Batchelor who perished in off-road utility vehicle accident on January 16. Batchelor was a native of Indiantown, Florida the hometown of the ARCA veteran.

Praised as a little boy who touched everyone’s heart, Sheltra will race in his honor celebrating his life and accomplishments.

By his family and friends in Indiantown, Batchelor will remembered as a youngster with strong wit, an avid outdoorsman, a renowned story teller and an astonishing ability to charm.

“Nicholas reminds me a lot of myself when I was a kid,” Sheltra said. “Everything that he did, I did, so it really hits close. It’s been a tough couple of weeks for the city of Indiantown. He was a boy who made you smile no matter what and I know when that green flag drops on Saturday, he will be with me all the way.”

In addition to paying their remembrance to Batchelor on Saturday, the team will also carry a logo dedicated to his memory on the side of their No. 60 machine this weekend. The Mooresville, North Carolina based team will also pay tribute by plastering remembrance decals on their 53 foot-hauler for the entire 2010 racing season.

Heath Batchelor and Kim Batchelor father and aunt of Nicholas Batchelor will attend Saturday’s season-opener as guests of the Sheltra Motorsports family.

“We cannot give them their son back,” added Sheltra. “But we can show them how many people truly cared about their son and how much of an inspiration he was to people’s lives, including ours.”

Entering Daytona, Sheltra has 67 ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards starts to his credit with one career victory at Salem Speedway (April 2009). During his ARCA tenure, Sheltra has accumulated 10 top-fives and posted 22 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 Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona (80 laps / 200 miles) is the first of 20 events on the 2010 ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards schedule. The 47th ARCA race held at Daytona is a three-day show. Practice begins Thursday, February 4 with a four hour and fifty minute practice session planned from 12:00-4:50 p.m. Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell is set for Friday, February 5 slated to begin at 11:00 a.m. A fifty minute final practice session is etched in on Friday evening from 5:40pm-6:30 p.m. The event will take the green flag on Saturday, February 6 shortly after 4:30 p.m. The race will be televised live on SPEED with additional race coverage including live timing and scoring and radio broadcast through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com. All times are local.

Stay tuned for a revamped web site and several social networking opportunities to connect with Patrick Sheltra and the Sheltra Motorsports team but in the mean time for the latest and marketing partnership opportunities please visit PatrickSheltra.com.

About Sheltra Motorsports:

Sheltra Motorsports (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 Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards (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 Mooresville, North Carolina.

TEAM COMMUNICATIONS CONTACT:
NAME: Chris Knight, Sheltra Motorsports
PHONE: 239.834.9797 or 239.214.1083
EMAIL: chris@patricksheltra.com