(Photo by Bush Photo)
Inside Line Promotions – NEW CASTLE, Del. (Nov. 12, 2020) – Joey Amantea stamped an exclamation point on his 2020 race season with a charge from the rear of the field to finish sixth at Airport Speedway last Saturday.
The top-10 finish in the Cassidy Painting Battle at the Bullring was the Mount Pocono, Pa., native's 38th of the year and was a welcome sight after a challenging night at the track.
"Last weekend was a ton of fun and quite the way to finish out the year," he said. "We went from being really bad to really good all in the same night. It was a great way to finish out the season."
Amantea began his night by qualifying 24th quickest among 49 drivers with a lap of 10.889 seconds. He then started fifth in a heat race, but mechanical problems relegated him to a ninth-place finish.
As a result Amantea had to run a B Main and he charged forward 10 positions to finish fourth, which was just short of transferring into the A Main. He followed that up by advancing two positions to win the non-qualifier race and secure the 24th starting spot in the feature.
"We got everything fixed for the B Main and we were really strong, but just needed a few more laps," he said. "By the time the non-qualifier race came about we were really good and I was feeling good about our chances."
With the feature set for 100 laps in distance, Amantea planned to save tires early and he slowly began his march toward the front of the field. By the halfway mark he was just inside the top 10 and he reached as high as fourth before late-race contact battling for third dropped him to seventh. He was able to rebound during the final handful of laps and came back to finish sixth. The result was his career best in the event and was the last race of the year for Amantea.
"At the end of the day our car was a winner and I think with a little better start we had a chance to prove that," he said. "One hundred lap races are a tough deal as you need to have some strategy to be there at the end. I'm happy with a sixth after all we went through."
Amantea will now turn his focus toward 2021 as he prepares to go full-time in the 360ci sprint car division. While he still plans to sprinkle in a handful of micro sprint starts as his schedule permits, he's looking forward to the next chapter in his racing career.
"We had a great season and I'm excited to go full bore with the 360 deal," he said. "I learned a lot this year and we were extremely consistent. The goal is to take that experience to the next level and I think we're set up for a great 2021 season."
QUICK RESULTS –
Nov. 7 – Airport Speedway in New Castle, Del. – Qualifying: 24; Heat race: 9 (5); B Main: 4 (14); Non-Qualifier: 1 (3); Feature: 6 (24).
SEASON STATS –
63 races, 3 wins, 19 top fives, 38 top 10s, 45 top 15s, 49 top 20s
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.joeyamantearacing.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joeyamantearacing/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/joeyamantea88J
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – JPA Masonry
JPA Masonry, which is located in Mt. Pocono, Pa., is a trusted and experienced masonry leader in the Poconos. Although established in 2001, contractor and owner, Joseph P. Amantea (JPA), has almost 20 years of experience in the masonry field, including custom stone and design. For more information, visit http://www.JPAMasonry.com.
“JPA Masonry drives our race team,” Amantea said. “Without their support I wouldn’t be able to race. I’m very appreciative of all they do for me.”
Amantea would also like to thank Amantea Real Estate, Hyper Racing, Jet Signs, Radical Race Gear, Pensyl Enterprises and Gilroy Northeast Inc. Excavating and Construction for their continued support.
INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS –
Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations and media management for motor sports drivers, teams, sponsors, tracks, series, events, organizations, and manufacturers. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and the return on investment for your sponsors.
To meet the media relations needs of your program by joining Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510 3663 or Shawn@InsideLinePromotions.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.
- Shawn Miller on Nov 12, 2020
- Article Date: 11/12/2020 by Inside Line Promotions