Patrick Sheltra to drive for MacDonald Motorsports in Daytona Nationwide race
MacDonald Motorsports and Sheltra Motorsports announced today that ARCA Re/Max Series veteran Patrick Sheltra will drive the No. 81 NASCAR Nationwide Series entry at Daytona International Speedway.
Sheltra will make his third career Nationwide start while making his return to Daytona after a dramatic crash in the season-opening ARCA race at the track. Sheltra was taken to a local hospital following the crash in the Feb. 7 race. The series was idle for a span afterward, not racing again until April 5 at Salem Speedway, a race that Sheltra won.
“I would like to thank MacDonald Motorsports for this opportunity,” said Sheltra, a native of Indiantown, Fla. “I wasn’t planning on running this race, but all the components glued together, and now we can focus on having a good race.”
Sheltra made his series debut last fall at Phoenix International Raceway.
“I’ve run up front at Daytona before, and that’s my plan again," Sheltra said. "MacDonald Motorsports has shown that they have a very impressive [restrictor]-plate program, so I’m looking forward to taking them to the front and putting us in contention on Friday night. The biggest objective is keeping ourselves out of trouble and being at the right place at the right time when it’s go time. I have all the confidence in the world that we are capable of turning some heads this weekend.”
The logos for D.H. Griffin Cos., Quality Turf of Okeechobee, Inc., Buffalo Wings & Rings and Indiantown Marina will appear on the car. Quality Turf of Okeechobee, Inc., Buffalo Wings & Rings and Indiantown Marina have stepped up their agreements from Sheltra’s ARCA program.
“Our marketing partnerships for this race leave me speechless,” Sheltra said. “I’m honored to be representing D.H. Griffin Cos. while I’m looking at bringing our ARCA marketing partners a little more exposure in my biggest NASCAR Nationwide race yet.”
MacDonald Motorsports crew chief David Ingram will call the shots for Sheltra, with Sheltra’s crew chief and former NASCAR Nationwide Series driver John Hayden acting as Sheltra’s driving coach this weekend. Five additional members of the Sheltra Motorsports crew will fly to Daytona from the Iowa Speedway ARCA open test and assist the MacDonald Motorsports team.
Financial terms of the sponsorships were not announced.
