Sheltra Motorsports

“The team gave me a good car to drive and together we were able to get around the track pretty good,” said Duno. “We needed Friday to sort some things out and when we hit the track on Saturday our results in the morning session put us on top and it showed that we were definitely heading in the right direction. Sunday was yet another good day for us as we very nearly topped the charts in the morning session and did top the charts in the second and last session. We did what we expected to do; what we are capable of doing. It was a good test.”

Duno and her No. 63 team rolled into Daytona early Friday morning to begin the first day of testing and were eager to get started as they would, for the first time in their history, be racing with a Ford Fusion. This proved to be a challenge at first for Duno and team as they ended Friday with a fast time of 49.787 seconds (180.770 mph), 20th among the 53 drivers to make laps around Daytona’s famed high-banks, but there would be no harder working team and that paid off as they continued to find speed with every change made throughout the weekend.

The No. 63 Sheltra Motorsports Ford Fusion driven by Milka Duno at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway

ARCA Racing Series officials opened up the Saturday afternoon session for drafting, and Duno proved her quick time was no fluke, as she backed up her morning run with a time of 48.166 seconds (186.854) for what would be her fastest lap time of Daytona testing.

Milka Duno

In the sixth and final session on Sunday afternoon, after 21 hours of on-track action, Duno again put her No. 63 Ford atop the speed charts, pacing the superspeedway in a time of 48.340 seconds (186.181 mph). By taking the top time in Sunday’s final practice session, Duno became the only driver, among more than 50, to lead two of the six test sessions at Daytona International Speedway.

“We really got a lot accomplished this weekend,” said Crew Chief Dave Leiner Jr. “We didn’t know exactly what we had when we first pulled into Daytona Friday morning, but the guys on the team did a great job and really got our Ford Fusion to where it needed to be. We have great Roush/Yates horsepower under the hood as well. Milka did a great job giving me feedback all weekend, and we really got the car dialed in. I am looking forward to returning here for the race in February. I believe that Milka and the entire Sheltra Motorsports team will be very competitive and put on a good show.”

About Sheltra Motorsports:

Sheltra Motorsports, established in 2007, is in the midst of its fifth season of ARCA Racing Series competition. Owned by Florida-native, Patrick Sheltra, the owner-driver team captured the 2010 ARCA Racing Series driver and owner’s championship titles on the strength of two wins, 12 top-fives and 17 top-10 finishes in 20 events. Sheltra Motorsports is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C., with additional operations in Indiana and Florida. For more information, visit www.sheltramotorsports.com.

About Milka Duno:

Duno has eight major race wins in the highest classes (Prototype) in the American Le Mans Series and Rolex Series and the highest finish ever by a female driver (2nd Place) in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in the 48-year history of the race. Go, Milka, Go! – a book about her life and racing career, was awarded the Best Young Adult Sports/Recreation Book of 2009 at the 11th Annual International Latino Book Awards. In 2010, Duno became the first Venezuelan athlete inducted into the Latin American International Sports Hall of Fame.

- Sheltra Motorsports Press Release

The No. 63 Sheltra Motorsports Ford Fusion driven by Milka Duno at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway

Circling the famed 2.5 mile superspeedway in a time of 48.383 seconds (186.016 mph), Duno not only set the fastest time in the first day and a half of testing but also tops 2011 ARCA Racing Series Champion Ty Dillon’s pole qualifying effort (48.509 seconds/185.533 mph) from last season’s race at Daytona by almost two tenths of a second.

Milka Duno

Duno and her Sheltra Motorsports team are set to return to Daytona’s high-banks this afternoon for the first drafting session of the test. Teams have three total sessions left throughout the open test with this afternoon’s session and two more drafting sessions on Sunday.

About Sheltra Motorsports:

Sheltra Motorsports, established in 2007, is in the midst of its fifth season of ARCA Racing Series competition. Owned by Florida-native, Patrick Sheltra, the owner-driver team captured the 2010 ARCA Racing Series driver and owner’s championship titles on the strength of two wins, 12 top-fives and 17 top-10 finishes in 20 events. Sheltra Motorsports is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C., with additional operations in Indiana and Florida. For more information, visit www.sheltramotorsports.com.

About Milka Duno:

Duno has eight major race wins in the highest classes (Prototype) in the American Le Mans Series and Rolex Series and the highest finish ever by a female driver (2nd Place) in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in the 48-year history of the race. Go, Milka, Go! – a book about her life and racing career, was awarded the Best Young Adult Sports/Recreation Book of 2009 at the 11th Annual International Latino Book Awards. In 2010, Duno became the first Venezuelan athlete inducted into the Latin American International Sports Hall of Fame.

- Sheltra Motorsports Press Release

No. 63 CITGO SUPERGARD Toyota Camry

“We had a good car for the race. The guys did a great job with the car because in the second lap of the first practice session the car caught fire and we lost all of the first practice and had to roll out our backup car,” said Duno. “We only had a few laps in the second practice because we had a problem with the brakes in the backup car. The guys were working really hard to try to put the car together before qualifying. With no practice time, (Crew Chief) Dave used the experience that he has here to give me a good car for the race. We were running very solid and strong and wanted to finish higher; I think our car was capable of finishing stronger, but the lap that we lost with the overheating problem affected us a lot. I have to thank my Sheltra Motorsports team for a great season. It has been a lot of fun.”

With a strong test session in the week prior Duno and her Sheltra Motorsports team came to Toledo with a lot of confidence – but trouble struck early on for the team as on only her second lap of the first practice session Duno’s No. 63 car melted an oil line causing oil to spew out of the machine and eventually catch fire. Duno was able to exit the car safely and safety officials quickly put out the fire but the team was forced to pull out a backup car and Duno was not able to get back out on track during the first practice session.

Working feverishly to get the backup car prepared in time for the second and final 40-minute practice session, the crew was able to get Duno on track shortly after the session began. Plagued with bad luck, a brake problem on the car prevented her from making any solid practice laps. With a lot of work to do before qualifying later in the afternoon, the Sheltra Motorsports went back to work after practice to get the No. 63 ready for qualifying. Duno was supposed to be the 19th car to make a qualifying lap around the half-mile track, but with the problems on the car the team had to relinquish that spot forcing Duno to start Sunday’s race from the rear of the field in the 35th position.

Cold, rainy skies forced the start of the Federated Car Care 200 to be postponed for over two hours, but ARCA officials were finally able to get the race underway shortly after 4:00 p.m. The green and yellow flags were thrown simultaneously to signal the official start of the race. Drivers were forced to maintain their positions but running under slow conditions didn’t allow the cars to get enough air causing several drivers to complain about their cars overheating. Unfortunately Duno’s No. 63 CITGO SUPERGARD Toyota was one of the cars fighting an overheating problem and Crew Chief Dave Leiner Jr. was forced call her down pit road on lap 39 to pull tape off the car and allow the car to cool before green flag laps were even run thereby putting Duno one lap down.

The green flag was finally thrown on lap 49, but a still damp track was the cause of several early cautions. Duno used the few early green flag laps to move from her 35th starting position to 27th before radioing to her crew on lap 68 that the car was a little loose in the turns.

Milka Duno

The field went back to racing on lap 137 and Duno wasted no time moving into 23rd and reported to the crew that her car was handling better. Things got interesting for Duno on lap 143 as another car spun right in front of her, but with a quick reaction she avoided the spinning car and moved into 22nd place.

With only 52 laps remaining, the field restarted but several more cautions slowed the drivers through the final laps of the race. Duno was able to use the short green flag runs to negotiate her way through traffic, climbing her way to the 18th position by the time the final checkered flag flew on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series Season.

With a gain of 17 positions from her 35th starting position, Duno was the biggest mover of the race passing more cars and gaining more positions than any other driver in the 35-car field.

“I am very happy with Milka and the efforts of the Sheltra Motorsports crew this weekend,” said Crew Chief Dave Leiner Jr. “There was no harder working team than our 63 team this weekend. Milka really had very limited track time in practice and did such a great job to get the finish we did today. I can’t say enough for how much she has improved this season. She has done a great job and it has been a pleasure to have her with us this season. I am very proud of her and the hard work she and the entire Sheltra Motorsports team has put into the 2011 season.”

About Sheltra Motorsports:

Sheltra Motorsports, established in 2007, is in the midst of its fifth season of ARCA Racing Series competition. Owned by Florida-native, Patrick Sheltra, the owner-driver team captured the 2010 ARCA Racing Series driver and owner’s championship titles on the strength of two wins, 12 top-fives and 17 top-10 finishes in 20 events. Sheltra Motorsports is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C., with additional operations in Indiana and Florida. For more information, visit www.sheltramotorsports.com.

About Milka Duno:

Duno has eight major race wins in the highest classes (Prototype) in the American Le Mans Series and Rolex Series and the highest finish ever by a female driver (2nd Place) in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in the 48-year history of the race. Go, Milka, Go! – a book about her life and racing career, was awarded the Best Young Adult Sports/Recreation Book of 2009 at the 11th Annual International Latino Book Awards. In 2010, Duno became the first Venezuelan athlete inducted into the Latin American International Sports Hall of Fame.

- Sheltra Motorsports Press Release

Sheltra Motorsports

Milka Duno

After a very successful run at the half-mile oval in the spring, Duno and team have a lot of confidence heading to the ARCA finale at Toledo for Sunday’s Federated Car Care 200. They tested their No. 63 CITGO SUPERGARD Dodge at the track last Sunday.

“We are very excited to get to Toledo Speedway,” said Crew Chief Dave Leiner Jr. “Milka has really improved throughout the entire season, and I think she will really prove that with a strong run on Sunday. We tested here earlier this week and she really did a great job. The entire Sheltra Motorsports team is excited for a good performance in the Federated Car Care 200.”

The ARCA Racing Series will make its return to Toledo Speedway, ARCA’s home track, on Saturday, Oct. 15th with two practice sessions before qualifying begins at 4:00 p.m. EST. There will be an on-track autograph session Sunday, Oct.16th from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. before the green flag drops for 200 laps of short track action at 2:00 p.m. EST. SPEED will provide live television coverage of the Federated Car Care 200 with live timing and scoring and radio coverage on ARCARacing.com.

No. 63 CITGO SUPERGARD Dodge Charger

Duno at Toledo: Milka Duno will be making her second-career start at Toledo Speedway. In her first start at the half-mile track last spring, Duno started last and moved into the 15th position, scoring her best finish to date in the ARCA Racing Series.

Sheltra Motorsports at Toledo: Sheltra Motorsports has nine starts at Toledo Speedway. The team has three top-five and five top-10 finishes at the half-mile oval with best finishes of second in the 2008 Spring event and third in the 2010 Fall event and a pole in the fall event last year.

This Week’s Dodge: Duno will be piloting chassis No. 005 this weekend. Milka Duno has driven this chassis three times this season, at both Salem races and Lucas Oil Raceway. 2010 Champion and team owner Patrick Sheltra also piloted chassis No. 005 to his first-career ARCA Racing Series victory at Salem Speedway in 2009.

Autographs: On Sunday, October 16 there will be an on-track autograph session from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. prior to the start of the Federated Car Care 200.

Keep Up With Milka: Want to learn more about Milka Duno? Log on to her official website at www.milkaduno.com. Fans cans also log on to her official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TheOfficialMilkaDunoFanPage

Follow Sheltra Motorsports: Want to know what is going on at the Sheltra Motorsports shop or what 2010 Champion Patrick Sheltra is up to? Be sure to follow Sheltra Motorsports on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SheltraMotorsports.

About Sheltra Motorsports:

Sheltra Motorsports, established in 2007, is in the midst of its fifth season of ARCA Racing Series competition. Owned by Florida-native, Patrick Sheltra, the owner-driver team captured the 2010 ARCA Racing Series driver and owner’s championship titles on the strength of two wins, 12 top-fives and 17 top-10 finishes in 20 events. Sheltra Motorsports is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C., with additional operations in Indiana and Florida. For more information, visit www.sheltramotorsports.com.

About Milka Duno:

Duno has eight major race wins in the highest classes (Prototype) in the American Le Mans Series and Rolex Series and the highest finish ever by a female driver (2nd Place) in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in the 48-year history of the race. Go, Milka, Go! – a book about her life and racing career was awarded the Best Young Adult Sports/Recreation Book of 2009 at the 11th Annual International Latino Book Awards. In 2010, Duno became the first Venezuelan athlete inducted into the Latin American International Sports Hall of Fame.

- Sheltra Motorsports Press Release

Tony Marks Racing Thumbnail

Rewinding back to Kansas Speedway for a minute, Dufault showed strength and speed despite a hiccup in qualifying which forced the Tony Marks Racing development driver to start the Kansas Lottery 98.9 from the rear of the field after a cut down tire caused her to spin but she miraculously kept her automobile off the wall; showing overwhelming car control coming to the completion of her first lap. Starting from the 32nd position without any damage to her hotrod, Dufault rocketed her Chrysler nameplate through the field to maneuver her seventh top-20 effort of the year and earn for her second consecutive race (Pocono and Kansas) the CGS Imaging Hard Charger award.

No. 12 MaNo. 12 Mad Croc / Dodge Motorsports / Tony Marks Racing Dodge Charger

On the heels of two strong showings reverting back to Pocono (Pa.) Raceway in August, the former NASCAR Canadian Tire Series pilot now turns her attention towards short track beating and banging where on Sunday afternoon she is gunning for her second top-10 finish of the season and end her rookie season on a high note that will lean over into 2012.

“The last two races have been great and there is no reason we can’t move forward even further this weekend,” said Dufault. “A race like we had last Friday night considering all of the circumstances and the length of the race proved that our program is improving all the way around.”

To further propel her confidence towards the 19th race of the season, Dufault and her teammate Jared Marks recently tested at the half-mile oval with stellar results which gives the now Davidson, North Carolina resident some motivation and objectives in her No. 12 Mad Croc / Dodge Motorsports / Tony Marks Racing Dodge Charger.

“I was thankful that we tested, it helped me a lot,” she added. “Both of the Tony Marks Racing cars were pretty equal and we’re coming back this weekend – hoping to find even more speed. I like Toledo Speedway; it’s a cool place and probably one of my favorite short tracks.

Unfortunately, even though we were running 11th in the spring, a lapped car put a bunch of us in a bad situation and started a chain-reaction incident and we were caught up in it. So, we weren’t able to put together the finish that we had hoped for. By now, I’m hoping I’ve earned some respect from my peers on the track and they will race me how they want to be raced. Everyone on the team deserves to see our No. 12 near the front of the field and I’m hoping we’re able to accomplish that on Sunday afternoon.”

For the team’s second attempt to conquer Toledo Speedway, the team has brought on Tommy Buzze, the champion car chief from 2010 ARCA Racing Series championship team Sheltra Motorsports to call the shots for Dufault on Sunday afternoon.

Maryeve Dufault

Following Toledo, Dufault plans to regroup with her Mooresville, North Carolina-based team and prepare for 2012 which includes returning to the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards for another year of battle.

“I’ve been incredibly grateful for everything that has happened to me this year,” Dufault humbling stated. “The learning process has been extensive but nothing but positive as far as I’m concerned. We’ll spend the off-season getting the cars together and working on hopefully bringing some more marketing partners on-board to kick off the new season. One thing is for sure, we’ll be back and better than ever.”

Car owner Tony Marks offered his insight on Sunday’s anticipated thriller.

“I cannot wait to see both of our Tony Marks Racing entries duking it out for a good finish on Sunday afternoon,” said Marks, a successful entrepreneur from Ohio. “The test went extremely well and Maryeve’ confidence is contagious, so I’m anxious to see the green flag drop and see her end the ARCA season on a positive note.”

In addition to backing from Mad Croc Energy, Dodge Motorsports, the freshman organization welcomes additional support from Hickory’s Best Beef Jerky, Walgreens, Pilkington Glass, Cool Off Icy Towelettes and the University of Northwestern Ohio (UNOH) for Sunday’s festivities.

The Federated Car Care 200 (200 laps / 100 miles) is the 19th of 19 events on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The 70th ARCA race at Toledo Speedway is a two-day show. Practice begins Saturday, October 15 with a forty five minute practice session planned from 12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. A final forty five minute “happy hour” session has been etched in from 1:40 p.m. – 2:25 p.m. Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell is set for later in the day slated to begin at 4:00 p.m. A one hour on-track autograph session has been etched in from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. on race day (Sunday). The contest will take the green flag shortly after 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 16. The event will be televised live on SPEED with additional race coverage including live timing and scoring throughout the 1,331st race for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards since it was formed in 1953 will be available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com presented by ARCANation.com. All times are local.

To learn more about Tony Marks Racing, please click over to Tmr-racing.com.

For more on Maryeve Dufault, please log onto Maryeveracing.com.

For additional information on TMT, Inc. please visit; tmtcompanies.net.

- Tony Marks Racing Press Release

No. 63 CITGO SUPERGARD Toyota Camry

“I’ve raced at Kansas before in an Indy car and passed my IndyCar rookie test here too,” said Duno. “I have a fond place in my heart for this track and the fans in Kansas because they have been so supportive of me. It will be my first time at the track in a stock car and so it will be a different experience. We made some progress at a test here last month and we hope that will help us deliver a good result.”

Milka Duno

“I am excited to get to Kansas with Milka,” said Crew Chief Dave Leiner II. “Milka has had a steep learning curve this season; every track has been brand new to her. We just tested here in September, and I really believe that will show on the race track this week. She made tremendous improvements throughout the entire test session and I believe that will continue on Friday. I think our Sheltra Motorsports team will be pretty sporty Friday night.”

Duno and the stars of the ARCA Racing Series roll into Kansas Speedway on Friday, October 7th for 148.5 miles of Friday night racing action. Drivers and crews will have their work cut out for them with only one short 2 hour and 15 minute practice session (9:00 – 11: 15 a.m. CDT) Friday morning before qualifying begins at 5:35 p.m. CDT. green flag will drop on the Kansas Lottery 98.9 at 7:30 p.m. CDT with live television coverage on SPEED and live timing and scoring and audio coverage provided by ARCA Nation and the ARCA Racing Network at ARCARacing.com.

Milka Duno and the No. 63 CITGO SUPERGARD Toyota Fast Facts:

Duno at Kansas Speedway: Milka Duno will be making her first career stock car start at Kansas Speedway. She tested at the 1.5-mile track in September with her Sheltra Motorsports team.

Sheltra Motorsports at Kansas: Sheltra Motorsports has made four previous starts at Kansas Speedway, all with team owner Patrick Sheltra behind the wheel. The team finished fifth at the 1.5-mile track last season, a finish that helped catapult Sheltra Motorsports to the 2010 ARCA Racing Series championship.

This Week’s Toyota: Duno will be piloting chassis No. 20 this weekend. This chassis has only been used once before by the Sheltra Motorsports team at Iowa Speedway. It was a new chassis to the team in 2011, originating from Red Bull Racing.

Keep Up With Milka: Want to learn more about Milka Duno? Log on to her official website at www.milkaduno.com. Fans cans also log on to her official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TheOfficialMilkaDunoFanPage.

Follow Sheltra Motorsports: Want to know what is going on at the Sheltra Motorsports shop or what 2010 Champion Patrick Sheltra is up to? Be sure to follow Sheltra Motorsports on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SheltraMotorsports.

About Sheltra Motorsports:

Sheltra Motorsports, established in 2007, is in the midst of its fifth season of ARCA Racing Series competition. Owned by Florida-native, Patrick Sheltra, the owner-driver team captured the 2010 ARCA Racing Series driver and owner’s championship titles on the strength of two wins, 12 top-fives and 17 top-10 finishes in 20 events. Sheltra Motorsports is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C., with additional operations in Indiana and Florida. For more information, visit www.sheltramotorsports.com.

About Milka Duno:

Duno has eight major race wins in the highest classes (Prototype) in the American Le Mans Series and Rolex Series and the highest finish ever by a female driver (2nd Place) in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in the 48-year history of the race. Go, Milka, Go! – a book about her life and racing career was awarded the Best Young Adult Sports/Recreation Book of 2009 at the 11th Annual International Latino Book Awards. In 2010, Duno became the first Venezuelan athlete inducted into the Latin American International Sports Hall of Fame.

- Sheltra Motorsports Press Release

No. 63 CITGO SUPERGARD Toyota Camry

“It will be great to be returning to a track this season that I’ve raced at before,” said Duno. “It’s been an interesting and challenging season so far, as each and every track has been new to me. I’ve had one race at Salem this year so I’ll have just a bit of experience going into this second race. I hope that will translate to a better result the second time around – I know that we’ll all be working very hard to do just that.”

Duno made her first start at Salem’s 0.555-mile track in April in what was also the stock car rookie’s first short track start of her career. While the difficult track, known for challenging some of the most legendary names in auto racing, was supposed to be a huge challenge, Duno took to Salem’s high banks in a veteran-like style proving to the entire racing community that she has what it takes to go to victory lane.

Salem Speedway, with its rough, bumpy surface and fast, unforgiving high banks, is nothing like Duno had ever competed at before, but it proved to be a challenge she was ready to conquer when the ARCA Racing Series made their first visit earlier this season. Now, with one race and two test sessions under her belt at the famed short track, Duno and her Sheltra Motorsports team are ready to prove what they can do with a little familiarity at a race track.

“Ever since that first Salem race in April this is an event we have had circled on our calendar,” said Crew Chief Dave Leiner Jr. “Milka really excelled here in the spring, and I really believe we can build on that this weekend. We tested here last week and she did a very nice job. I have a lot of confidence that we will have a solid finish this weekend.”

Duno and the stars of the ARCA Racing Series roll into Salem Speedway on Saturday, September 17th for 200 laps of Saturday night short track racing. There will be a short practice session from 1:05 – 2:35 p.m. EST before qualifying begins at 4:00 p.m. EST. The green flag will drop on the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers ARCA Fall Classic 200 at 7:15 p.m. EST with live timing and scoring and audio coverage provided by ARCA Nation and the ARCA Racing Network at ARCARacing.com.

Milka Duno and the No. 63 CITGO SUPERGARD Dodge Fast Facts:

Milka Duno

Duno at Salem Speedway:

Sheltra Motorsports at Salem: Sheltra Motorsports has made nine starts at Salem’s 0.555-mile oval, one with Milka Duno and eight with Patrick Sheltra behind the wheel. Salem Speedway is where the team earned their first ARCA Racing Series victory in 2009. Sheltra Motorsports has one win, two top-five and three top-10 finishes at the high-banked track.

This Week’s Dodge: Duno will be piloting chassis No. 005 this weekend. This chassis has been used twice this season, at Salem in the spring and Lucas Oil Raceway. 2010 Champion and team owner Patrick Sheltra also piloted chassis No. 005 to his first-career ARCA Racing Series victory at Salem Speedway in 2009.

Keep Up With Milka: Want to learn more about Milka Duno? Log on to her official website at www.milkaduno.com. Fans cans also log on to her official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TheOfficialMilkaDunoFanPage.

Follow Sheltra Motorsports: Want to know what is going on at the Sheltra Motorsports shop or what 2010 Champion Patrick Sheltra is up to? Be sure to follow Sheltra Motorsports on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SheltraMotorsports.

About Sheltra Motorsports:

Sheltra Motorsports, established in 2007, is in the midst of its fifth season of ARCA Racing Series competition. Owned by Florida-native, Patrick Sheltra, the owner-driver team captured the 2010 ARCA Racing Series driver and owner’s championship titles on the strength of two wins, 12 top-fives and 17 top-10 finishes in 20 events. Sheltra Motorsports is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C., with additional operations in Indiana and Florida. For more information, visit www.sheltramotorsports.com.

About Milka Duno:

Duno has eight major race wins in the highest classes (Prototype) in the American Le Mans Series and Rolex Series and the highest finish ever by a female driver (2nd Place) in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in the 48-year history of the race. Go, Milka, Go! – a book about her life and racing career was awarded the Best Young Adult Sports/Recreation Book of 2009 at the 11th Annual International Latino Book Awards. In 2010, Duno became the first Venezuelan athlete inducted into the Latin American International Sports Hall of Fame.

- Sheltra Motorsports Press Release

No. 63 CITGO SUPERGARD Toyota Camry

“It is a good feeling to know that we will all be learning the track together because, for example, at Pocono I was one of the only drivers that hadn’t been to the track before,” said Duno. “It makes it tough for me and the team when you have to learn the track and setup the car with such limited track time but I think we have done a good job with that all season. It is just good that we will all be going to Madison with the same conditions.”

Duno and her Sheltra Motorsports team were able to test at the half-mile track, adding to their confidence heading into the Herr’s Live Life with Flavor! 200.

Milka Duno

Although it will only be Duno’s fourth-career short track start, Duno has shown a ton of promise at short tracks this season, something the entire Sheltra Motorsports team is looking to build upon Friday night.

“Milka has done a great job at all the short tracks this year,” Said Crew Chief Dave Leiner Jr. “Her best finishes have come at the short tracks this season, but those finishes still don’t do justice for how well she has run at these tracks. We had a really good test at Madison last week, and I really think we will have something for them Friday night.”

The ARCA Racing Series rolls into Madison International Speedway on Friday, August 26th for a short practice from 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. CDT with qualifying beginning at 5:30 p.m. CDT. The green flag will drop for 200 laps of racing action at 8:30 p.m. CDT with live timing and scoring and audio coverage provided by ARCA Nation and the ARCA Racing Network at ARCARacing.com.

Milka Duno and the No. 63 CITGO SUPERGARD Chevrolet Fast Facts:

Duno at Madison International Speedway: Milka Duno along with her Sheltra Motorsports team will be making their first start at Madison’s half-mile oval.

This Week’s Chevrolet: Duno will be piloting chassis No. 4 this weekend. This is the first time this car will be run in 2011.

Autographs: Fans will have the chance to meet Milka Duno and all of their favorite ARCA Racing Series drivers on Friday, Aug. 26th from 7:00. – 8:00 p.m. EST during an on-track autograph session

Keep Up With Milka: Want to learn more about Milka Duno? Log on to her official website at www.milkaduno.com. Fans cans also log on to her official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TheOfficialMilkaDunoFanPage.

Follow Sheltra Motorsports: Want to know what is going on at the Sheltra Motorsports shop or what 2010 Champion Patrick Sheltra is up to? Be sure to follow Sheltra Motorsports on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SheltraMotorsports.

About Sheltra Motorsports:

Sheltra Motorsports, established in 2007, is in the midst of its fifth season of ARCA Racing Series competition. Owned by Florida-native, Patrick Sheltra, the owner-driver team captured the 2010 ARCA Racing Series driver and owner’s championship titles on the strength of two wins, 12 top-fives and 17 top-10 finishes in 20 events. Sheltra Motorsports is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C., with additional operations in Indiana and Florida. For more information, visit www.sheltramotorsports.com.

About Milka Duno:

Duno has eight major race wins in the highest classes (Prototype) in the American Le Mans Series and Rolex Series and the highest finish ever by a female driver (2nd Place) in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in the 48-year history of the race. Go, Milka, Go! – a book about her life and racing career was awarded the Best Young Adult Sports/Recreation Book of 2009 at the 11th Annual International Latino Book Awards. In 2010, Duno became the first Venezuelan athlete inducted into the Latin American International Sports Hall of Fame.

- Sheltra Motorsports Press Release

No. 63 CITGO SUPERGARD Toyota Camry

There is no other track on the ARCA Racing Series, or any series, schedule that compares to Pocono Raceway.Known as the “tricky triangle,” Pocono Raceway has three distinct turns set to challenge drivers and for a first time driver on the 2.5-mile track that challenge becomes even larger.

“I’ve heard a lot about Pocono over the years and I’m excited for the opportunity to race at such an interesting track,” said Duno. “Dave and the team have some history here and I hope that we’ll have enough on-track time to have that experience translate into a good result.”

While it will be Duno’s first time at the tricky triangle, Crew Chief Dave Lanier Jr. is no stranger to Pocono Raceway, where he has a very successful track record. Last year Lanier led Robb Brent to his first career win in ARCA Racing Series competition at the 2.5-mile track and is looking to take that same knowledge to his Sheltra Motorsports team this weekend.

“Pocono is a very challenging track, especially for a driver that has never been there before,” said Lanier. “Our goal during practice will be to get Milka as many laps as we can so she can learn the track. Every week our chemistry together has been improving and she has been giving great feedback on the car. I have no doubt that with enough laps on the track our Sheltra Motorsports team will have a strong finish.”

The ARCA Racing Series rolls into Pocono on Friday for a short practice from 1:40 – 3:00 p.m. EST with qualifying beginning at 5:40 p.m. EST. The green flag will drop for 125 miles of racing action on Saturday, Aug. 6 at 3:00 p.m., immediately after the completion of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event. SPEED will provide live flag-to-flag coverage of the event beginning at 3:00 p.m. EST with live timing and scoring and audio coverage provided by ARCA Nation and the ARCA Racing Network at ARCARacing.com.

Milka Duno

Duno at Pocono Raceway: Milka Duno will be making her first-career start at Pocono’s tricky triangle.

Sheltra Motorsports at Pocono Raceway: Sheltra Motorsports has nine starts at Pocono Raceway, all with Patrick Sheltra behind the wheel. They have five top-10 starts with a best starting position of sixth in the spring of 2010. Sheltra Motorsports also has three top-10 finishes and two top-fives with a best finish of third in 2009.

This Week’s Toyota: Duno will be piloting chassis No. 13 this weekend. This is the first time this car will be run in 2011. It was run by Patrick Sheltra at both Pocono races last year with finishes of fourth and sixth.

Keep Up With Milka: Want to learn more about Milka Duno? Log on to her official website at www.milkaduno.com. Fans cans also log on to her official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TheOfficialMilkaDunoFanPage.

Follow Sheltra Motorsports: Want to know what is going on at the Sheltra Motorsports shop or what 2010 Champion Patrick Sheltra is up to? Be sure to follow Sheltra Motorsports on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SheltraMotorsports.

About Sheltra Motorsports:

Sheltra Motorsports, established in 2007, is in the midst of its fifth season of ARCA Racing Series competition. Owned by Florida-native, Patrick Sheltra, the owner-driver team captured the 2010 ARCA Racing Series driver and owner’s championship titles on the strength of two wins, 12 top-fives and 17 top-10 finishes in 20 events. Sheltra Motorsports is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C., with additional operations in Indiana and Florida. For more information, visit www.sheltramotorsports.com.

About Milka Duno:

Duno has eight major race wins in the highest classes (Prototype) in the American Le Mans Series and Rolex Series and the highest finish ever by a female driver (2nd Place) in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in the 48-year history of the race. Go, Milka, Go! – a book about her life and racing career was awarded the Best Young Adult Sports/Recreation Book of 2009 at the 11th Annual International Latino Book Awards. In 2010, Duno became the first Venezuelan athlete inducted into the Latin American International Sports Hall of Fame.

- Sheltra Motorsports Press Release

No. 63 CITGO SUPERGARD Toyota Camry

“Lucas Oil Raceway is a tough track; it is more difficult than it looks,” said Duno. “We were constantly battling the handling of the car in the corners, but the team continually made the car better and better every time we went out on the track. After the wreck with the 94 the car was very difficult to drive in the corners. That damage really hurt our car and made the car very difficult to turn. I am very encouraged with how we ran up to that point. Dave is a great crew chief and I am really learning a lot from him. We have really, really good communication. I am excited for the remainder of this season.”

The pressure was on for Duno and her Sheltra Motorsports team as 46 cars, including a handful of NASCAR regulars, rolled into Lucas Oil Raceway’s 0.686-mile oval looking to qualify into the 35-car field. With only a short 90-minute practice session, Duno had little time to get acquainted to Lucas Oil Raceway’s short track. Running the most laps of any driver, 73, Duno posted the 28th fastest time in practice. With the pressure building in qualifying, Duno ran a lap time of 23.550 seconds (104.886 mph) putting her 28th on the speed charts and solidly in the field.

The green flag dropped on the stars of the ARCA Racing Series shortly after 7:00 p.m. EST and Duno wasted no time jumping from her 28th starting position to 24th by the second lap. Maintaining her position in the top-25, Duno radioed to crew chief, Dave Leiner Jr, that her car was too tight from the center off on lap 12.

When the first caution came out on lap 35 Leiner called Duno to pit road to work on the handling of her tight racecar, making a track bar adjustment and adding fuel to the CITGO SUPERGARD Dodge. Duno returned to the track in the 27th position for the lap 40 restart.

Another caution on lap 60 gave the Sheltra Motorsports team the opportunity to make more adjustments to their No. 63 machine. Changing four tires and making an air pressure adjustment, a quick pit stop put Duno back on track for the restart on lap 64 in the 25th position.

Milka Duno

Another yellow on lap 130 brought Duno back to pit road for what was supposed to be her last pit stop of the night. With a quick four tire pit stop, the Sheltra Motorsports team returned Duno back to the track in 23rd ready for the lap 136 restart.

It didn’t take long for the action to get heat up again as a three car wreck going into turn one caused a red flag on lap 136. After several minutes of clean up the field went back to racing on lap 141. Climbing to 19th, Duno was again running fast lap times and looking to pick her way through the field when on lap 147 Hudson’s No. 94, with bad intentions, made blatant contact with Duno’s left rear on the exit of turn four. The contact caused Duno to spin when Hudson again hit Duno, this time in the left front causing severe fender damage and a flat tire. While ARCA warned Hudson for rough driving, Duno and team were left with a beaten and bruised race car.

Making two pit stops to help repair the damage during the caution, Duno was left to fight a damaged and very ill handling race car for the final 50 laps of the race before salvaging a 19th-place finish.

“I continue to be very impressed with Milka,” said Leiner. “Her communication and feedback on the car is great and we continue to improve every time we are on the track. We had a great run going today. I am proud of our Sheltra Motorsports team and look forward to Pocono next weekend.”

The ARCA Racing Series will head to the mountains of Pocono Pennsylvania to tackle the “trick triangle” next weekend for the Pennsylvania ARCA 125 on Saturday, August 6. SPEED will have live coverage of all 125 miles of racing action at 3:00 p.m. EST.

About Sheltra Motorsports:

Sheltra Motorsports, established in 2007, is in the midst of its fifth season of ARCA Racing Series competition. Owned by Florida-native, Patrick Sheltra, the owner-driver team captured the 2010 ARCA Racing Series driver and owner’s championship titles on the strength of two wins, 12 top-fives and 17 top-10 finishes in 20 events. Sheltra Motorsports is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C., with additional operations in Indiana and Florida. For more information, visit www.sheltramotorsports.com.

About Milka Duno:

Duno has eight major race wins in the highest classes (Prototype) in the American Le Mans Series and Rolex Series and the highest finish ever by a female driver (2nd Place) in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in the 48-year history of the race. Go, Milka, Go! – a book about her life and racing career, was awarded the Best Young Adult Sports/Recreation Book of 2009 at the 11th Annual International Latino Book Awards. In 2010, Duno became the first Venezuelan athlete inducted into the Latin American International Sports Hall of Fame.

- Sheltra Motorsports Press Release

No. 63 CITGO SUPERGARD Toyota Camry

As the stars of the ARCA Racing Series prepare for Thursday night short track racing action, Duno will be piloting her CITGO SUPERGARD Dodge to only her third-career shot-track start in what will be her first time stepping foot on Lucas Oil Raceway as she did not test at the track.

Milka Duno

It will not only be Duno’s first start at Lucas Oil Raceway, it will also be the first time at the 0.686-mile track for her Sheltra Motorsports team. With a field of 46 competitors attempting to make the 36 car starting lineup, including several of NASCAR’s finest Camping World Truck Series drivers, this is a race sure to be filled with a lot of drama and excitement.

“I have a lot of confidence coming into Thursday night’s race,” said Crew Chief Dave Leiner Jr. “Milka has been very successful in her past short track starts this season. Unfortunately we did not get to test here so we will all have a little bit of a learning curve, but after what I saw in Milka at Iowa last weekend I have no doubt she has what it takes to come out of Indianapolis with a strong finish.”

The ARCA Racing Series event at Lucas Oil Raceway kicks off an exciting weekend of racing in Indianapolis with a short practice session from 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. EST. Qualifying for the night’s Ansell Protective Gloves 200 kicks off at 4:30 p.m. with the green flag dropping for the start of 200 laps of short track racing at 7:00 p.m. EST. SPEED will provide flag-to-flag coverage of the event beginning at 8:00 p.m. EST with live timing and scoring and audio coverage provided by ARCA Nation and the ARCA Racing Network at ARCARacing.com.

Milka Duno and the No. 63 CITGO SUPERGARD Dodge Fast Facts:

- Duno at Lucas Oil Raceway: Milka Duno will be making her first-career start at Lucas Oil Raceway. It will also mark only her third-career short track start.

- Sheltra Motorsports at Lucas Oil Raceway: It will also be the first start for Sheltra Motorsports at the Indianapolis short track.

- This Week’s Dodge: Duno will be piloting chassis No. 5 this weekend. This car was used at Salem Speedway by Duno when she climbed to the fifth position before a radiator problem sidelined her just shy of the finish. Team Owner Patrick Sheltra piloted this chassis at Berlin Raceway earlier this year to a fourth-place finish.

Take Two: Duno and new Crew Chief Dave Leiner Jr. will be tackling only their second race together. They were paired together for the first time last weekend at Iowa Speedway and are excited to continue to build their success together at Lucas Oil Raceway.

Keep Up With Milka: Want to learn more about Milka Duno? Log on to her official website at www.milkaduno.com. Fans cans also log on to her official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TheOfficialMilkaDunoFanPage

Follow Sheltra Motorsports: Want to know what is going on at the Sheltra Motorsports shop or what 2010 Champion Patrick Sheltra is up to? Be sure to follow Sheltra Motorsports on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SheltraMotorsports.

About Sheltra Motorsports:

Sheltra Motorsports, established in 2007, is in the midst of its fifth season of ARCA Racing Series competition. Owned by Florida-native, Patrick Sheltra, the owner-driver team captured the 2010 ARCA Racing Series driver and owner’s championship titles on the strength of two wins, 12 top-fives and 17 top-10 finishes in 20 events. Sheltra Motorsports is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C., with additional operations in Indiana and Florida. For more information, visit www.sheltramotorsports.com.

About Milka Duno:

Duno has eight major race wins in the highest classes (Prototype) in the American Le Mans Series and Rolex Series and the highest finish ever by a female driver (2nd Place) in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in the 48-year history of the race. Go, Milka, Go! – a book about her life and racing career, was awarded the Best Young Adult Sports/Recreation Book of 2009 at the 11th Annual International Latino Book Awards. In 2010, Duno became the first Venezuelan athlete inducted into the Latin American International Sports Hall of Fame.

- Sheltra Motorsports Press Release

No. 63 CITGO SUPERGARD Toyota Camry

The first lap contact and the damage it caused would send Duno from her starting position of 15th to a back of the pack 39th. For the remainder of Duno’s race she battled back with a damaged car that caused brake problems on the No. 63 machine to as high as 19th for a total gain of 20 positions.

Milka Duno

The weekend started off promising for Duno and her Sheltra Motorsports team. Welcoming new Crew Chief Dave Leiner Jr, to the team, Duno and Leiner got off to a fast start making a great connection right off the bat. In Friday afternoon’s two practice sessions Duno posted the 22nd and 23rd fastest times but felt confident going into Saturday afternoon’s qualifying session. As the 39th and final car to take her chance around Iowa Speedway, Duno’s lap of 24.352 seconds (129.353 mph) put her No. 63 Machine 15th on the speed charts lining her up on the inside of row 8 for the start of the Prairie Meadows 200.

Under sweltering conditions with the temperature reaching 100 degrees, it didn’t take long for action to get started when the green flag dropped to signal the start of the Prairie Meadows 200. On just the first lap of the race, going into turn three Duno was racing side by side with the No. 25 when the No. 55 looked to make it three wide, forcing her way under Duno and making contact with her left rear. The contact caused Duno to start to get sideways but she was doing a great job of keeping in control of the car when the No. 55 hit her again, this time in the left front fender, causing severe damage that would affect the remainder of the race for the Sheltra Motorsports team. The incident, also collecting the No. 25, brought out the first caution of the race.

With heavy damage to her left front fender, Crew Chief Dave Leiner Jr. called Duno to pit road for repairs. The damaged fender broke the brake fans which would eventually bring Duno and her Sheltra Motorsports teams’ day to an early end.

Taking the lap six restart in the 37th, position plagued three laps down, Duno got to work trying to salvage the day. By the time the second yellow of the race came out on lap 49, Duno had climbed into the 27th position. During the caution period the Sheltra Motorsports team got busy making three pit stops to make repairs to their No. 63 machine.

When the field went back to racing on lap 59, Duno had a makeshift left front fender, but the brake fans were not able to be fixed. Duno took the restart from the 26th position and running very competitive lap times, she climbed into 23rd by lap 72. Lap 85 is when Duno’s day made another turn for the worse as she radioed to her Sheltra Motorsports team that she was losing the brakes in her No. 63 Toyota.

Another caution on lap 92 gave the CITGO SUPERGARD team the opportunity to bring Duno back down pit road to take a look at the brakes, but with no way to fix them the team added fuel and sent Duno back on the track.

Fighting the brake problem through the next several laps, Duno was able to climb into the top-20 by lap 150 but when the yellow flag came out on lap 159 Duno’s brakes were completely gone forcing her to park her No. 63 Toyota early relegating her to a 23rd-place finish.

“Milka did a phenomenal job today,” said Leiner. “She had to battle a brake problem for much of the race and continued to run competitive lap times. Milka gave us great feedback all weekend long and we were really able to improve the car for her. I am very impressed with how well she communicates and what a great feel for the car she has. We made large strides this weekend and I am looking forward to a very successful future for Milka and our Sheltra Motorsports team. I am excited to get back at it at Lucas Oil Raceway.”

The ARCA Racing Series will take a week off before heading to Lucas Oil Raceway for the Ansell Protective Gloves 200 on Thursday night, July 28th. SPEED will have live coverage of all 200 laps of short track racing action beginning at 7:00 p.m. EST.

About Sheltra Motorsports:

Sheltra Motorsports, established in 2007, is in the midst of its fifth season of ARCA Racing Series competition. Owned by Florida-native, Patrick Sheltra, the owner-driver team captured the 2010 ARCA Racing Series driver and owner’s championship titles on the strength of two wins, 12 top-fives and 17 top-10 finishes in 20 events. Sheltra Motorsports is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C., with additional operations in Indiana and Florida. For more information, visit www.sheltramotorsports.com.

About Milka Duno:

Duno has eight major race wins in the highest classes (Prototype) in the American Le Mans Series and Rolex Series and the highest finish ever by a female driver (2nd Place) in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in the 48-year history of the race. Go, Milka, Go! – a book about her life and racing career, was awarded the Best Young Adult Sports/Recreation Book of 2009 at the 11th Annual International Latino Book Awards. In 2010, Duno became the first Venezuelan athlete inducted into the Latin American International Sports Hall of Fame.

- Sheltra Motorsports Press Release

Milka Duno

“I’m looking forward to hitting the track at Iowa Speedway in a stock car,” said Duno. “I like the track very much and the fans in Iowa have always been good to me – so I look forward to seeing many of them again. I welcome David Leiner Jr. to the effort and I’m anxious to work together with him and the crew for a good result.”

While the stock car rookie, Duno, will be learning to wheel her No. 63 CITGO SUPERGARD Toyota around Iowa’s 0.875-mile track, she will have the experience of her 2010 championship winning Sheltra Motorsports team’s four previous starts at Iowa Speedway to guide her. The team will have a slightly different look this weekend at Iowa Speedway as David Leiner Jr. will be taking over command as crew chief.

“I am really excited to be joining the Sheltra Motorsports team and to have the opportunity to work with Milka Duno,” said Leiner. “We are looking forward to kick starting our relationship with a strong finish at Iowa Speedway. Milka has done a tremendous job and has had some strong runs so far this year, and I can’t wait to build upon that success in the second half of the ARCA Racing Series Season.

While it will be Leiner’s first start with Duno and Sheltra Motorsports, he is certainly no stranger to success in the ARCA Racing Series. Sporting 51-career wins and three championships (Tim Steele-1993, 1996, 1997), Leiner has over 16 years of experience as an ARCA Racing Series crew chief. The veteran crew chief led drivers such as Blaise Alexander, Blake Feese, Kyle Krisiloff, Boston Reid and most recently Robb Brent (Pocono, 2010) to their first-career ARCA victories and looks to continue that success with Milka Duno beginning in Saturday’s Prairie Meadows 200 at Iowa Speedway.

Duno and her Sheltra Motorsports team will take to Iowa Speedway’s 7/8-mile oval on Friday, July 15 for two afternoon practice sessions. ARCA Racing Series action will begin on Saturday, July 16 when the green flag drops for 200 laps of stock car racing action at 4:15 p.m. CDT. SPEED will have live television coverage of the Prairie Meadows 200 with live timing and scoring on ARCARacing.com.

Milka Duno and the No. 63 CITGO SUPERGARD Toyota Fast Facts:

Duno at Iowa: Milka Duno will be making her first stock car start at the 7/8-mile track.

Sheltra Motorsports at Iowa: Sheltra Motorsports has four previous starts at Iowa Speedway. 2010 Champion Patrick Sheltra gave the team their best finish in 2008 when he started eighth and finished ninth.

This Week’s Toyota: Duno will pilot chassis No. SM020 at Iowa Speedway. This chassis comes from Red Bull Racing and is a brand new chassis to the Sheltra Motorsports team.

New Look: Duno’s Sheltra Motorsports team will have a new look at Iowa Speedway as veteran crew chief Dave Leiner Jr. takes over the reins as crew chief. Leiner, a three-time ARCA Racing Series champion, earned his last and 51st-career victory at Pocono Raceway in 2010, bringing Robb Brent to victory lane for the first time in his young career. Leiner spent the first half of the 2011 season with Eddie Sharp Racing.

Keep Up With Milka: Want to learn more about Milka Duno? Log on to her official website at www.milkaduno.com. Fans cans also log on to her official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TheOfficialMilkaDunoFanPage.

Follow Sheltra Motorsports: Want to know what is going on at the Sheltra Motorsports shop or what 2010 Champion Patrick Sheltra is up to? Be sure to follow Sheltra Motorsports on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SheltraMotorsports.

About Sheltra Motorsports:

Sheltra Motorsports, established in 2007, is in the midst of its fifth season of ARCA Racing Series competition. Owned by Florida-native, Patrick Sheltra, the owner-driver team captured the 2010 ARCA Racing Series driver and owner’s championship titles on the strength of two wins, 12 top-fives and 17 top-10 finishes in 20 events. Sheltra Motorsports is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C., with additional operations in Indiana and Florida. For more information, visit www.sheltramotorsports.com.

About Milka Duno:

Duno has eight major race wins in the highest classes (Prototype) in the American Le Mans Series and Rolex Series and the highest finish ever by a female driver (2nd Place) in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in the 48-year history of the race. Go, Milka, Go! – a book about her life and racing career, was awarded the Best Young Adult Sports/Recreation Book of 2009 at the 11th Annual International Latino Book Awards. In 2010, Duno became the first Venezuelan athlete inducted into the Latin American International Sports Hall of Fame.

- Sheltra Motorsports Press Release

Kory Rabenold

In their first race together as a family-owned team since 2008, KRR owned by Kory Rabenold and led by father Buzzy Rabenold spent the entire winter and spring re-building the team’s No. 03 RabenoldRacing.com / Buzzy’s Auto Body Chevrolet Impala. And with some pre-race assistance from 2010 ARCA Racing Series championship team Sheltra Motorsports, KRR headed to their hometown track optimistic.

In practice for the Pocono ARCA 200, Rabenold paced the 25th quickest lap. For most of the session the team battled brake woes. After the completion of practice, the team diligently made adjustments to their Chevrolet bow-tie hoping for conformability for the Slatington, Pennsylvania native.

In time trials, Rabenold posted a lap comparable to his in practice but the team felt confident that their brake problem had been corrected.

Mother Nature has played havoc with the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards for much of the season and Saturday proved to be no different. With a light mist in the air, the drop of the green flag for the seventh race of the season would waive shortly before 2:00 p.m.

From the drop of the green flag, Rabenold methodically worked his way forward in the running order. Taking one position at a time, Rabenold’s No. 03 RabenoldRacing.com / Buzzy’s Auto Body Chevrolet Impala despite being underpowered and battling a tight condition continued to slowly inch his way up.

When the first caution flag waived on lap 18, Rabenold sat comfortably in the top-20, despite losing a lap to the leaders during the initial green flag run. The team opted to come to pit road for tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment when pit lane was opened for the lapped down machines. A respectable stop by the KRR team would return the No. 03 RabenoldRacing.com / Buzzy’s Auto Body Chevrolet Impala to the top-20.

With light rain falling and fog present, the caution period extended over the next 12 laps, and initially, ARCA officials decided to drop the green flag on lap 32. After restarts to begin laps 32 and 33 were aborted, officials instructed drivers to drive down pit road to close lap 35 where the red flag would be issued as everyone waited for the fog to lift.

A short time later, the cars would be re-fired and moved from pit road. The green flag would fly on lap 38. Rabenold would find his comfort zone around the 2.5-mile triangle to log laps and finish the race. Hovering between 16th and 18th, Rabenold would hold steady until lap 50 when the caution flag waived again.

A final opportunity to come to pit road for fuel, tires and adjustments occurred on lap 53.

Restarting the event on lap 57, Rabenold would defend his position before a caution flag waived two laps later for dense fog again around the facility. Red flag conditions would again adorn the field but ultimately the fog would force ARCA officials to consider the race complete on lap 59 with Rabenold scored in the 16th position.

“That was probably one of the most interesting ARCA races, I’ve ever been a part of,” said Rabenold who made his 24th career ARCA start. “The fog was something I’ve never experienced from inside the car but everyone really did a good job managing it. As a team, we’re pretty pleased. We really try to do a lot with a little. Hopefully this run will help gain some attention and we can come back here in August and have a little more sponsorship.”

Kory Rabenold Racing would like to thank the following local marketing partners who leaped aboard the team’s Chevrolet bowtie to make Saturday’s contest possible: Buzzy’s Auto Body, Dynamite Woodworking, Mama’s Pizza of Slatington PA, Springhouse Eye Care, Ecco Communications, Brooksy’s Beers & Barrels Drive Thru, Interstate Batteries of Allentown and Thomson’s Meat Market.

Next up for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards is round eight of 19 on the 2011 schedule. The RainEater Wiper Blades 200 from the two-mile oval of Michigan International Speedway is set for Friday, June 17th at 5:00 p.m. Eastern live on SPEED.

To learn more about Kory Rabenold and his KRR team, please log on to RabenoldRacing.com.

- Kory Rabenold Racing Press Release

Kory Rabenold

The return of Kory Rabenold Racing (KRR) and Rabenold himself to the track couldn’t have come at a better time. Leaning on his hometown track and the gracious support of his family-owned team, Rabenold looks for a solid finish that could potentially open some doors for future races down the road.

Rabenold in his No. 03 RabenoldRacing.com / Buzzy’s Auto Body Chevrolet Impala will make his 24th career ARCA start and seventh overall at the 2.5-mile triangle. In those previous six outings, the 22-year old has delivered three top-20 finishes including a solid 12th in his inaugural Pocono (Pa.) Raceway debut in 2007.

“We’re just thankful to be heading to the track this weekend,” said Rabenold. “It’s because a lot of dedication, time and effort that we’re able to get on the track this weekend. We don’t have a lot of sponsorship but in order to get sponsors, you have to be visible and try and stand out from the rest. That’s our goal this weekend. We’re going to the track with a story and hoping for a good finish that could allow us to come back in August.”

With father Buzzy Rabenold calling the shots as crew chief, the family-owned team knits together for round seven of the season knowing that returning to Pocono (Pa.) Raceway on their own platform is exactly the way he started his ARCA career.

“When I first came to Pocono in 2007, it was our family owned team. We had some sponsorship because the economy was better. We qualified 22nd, stayed out of trouble and finished 12th. It was a good day. Hopefully we can stay out of trouble and have a similar performance on Saturday.”

This family-owned team turned to another ARCA family-owned team in the ARCA Racing Series for some advice on their automobile. Sheltra Motorsports, the 2010 ARCA Racing Series championship organization recently assisted KRR.

“We’re extremely thankful to Jon (Wolfe) and Sheltra Motorsports for giving us some assistance. It’s always nice to have a caliber team like that, take some time for us. We may not have the same type of equipment that they won the championship with, but one thing is for sure, we have their same determination and passion!”

Kory Rabenold Racing would like to thank the following local marketing partners who have leaped aboard the team’s Chevrolet bowtie for Saturday’s contest: Buzzy’s Auto Body, Dynamite Woodworking, Mama’s Pizza of Slatington PA, Springhouse Eye Care, Ecco Communications, Brooksy’s Beers & Barrels Drive Thru, Interstate Batteries of Allentown and Thomson’s Meat Market.

The Pocono ARCA 200 (80 laps / 200 miles) is the seventh of 19 events on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The 52nd ARCA race at Pocono Raceway is a two-day show. Practice begins Friday, June 10 with a one hour and fifty minute practice session planned from 10:00 a.m. – 11:50 a.m. Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying is slated to begin later in the day at 2:05 p.m. The field will take the green flag shortly after 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 11. The event will be televised same-day delayed on SPEED beginning at 8:00 p.m. EST. Live timing and scoring throughout the 1,319th race for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards since it was formed in 1953 will be available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com presented by ARCANation.com. All times are local.

- Kory Rabenold Racing Press Release