Inside Line Promotions – SWEDESBORO, N.J. (April 6, 2021) – Joey Amantea scored his first podium result of the 2021 season last Saturday when he finished third at Bridgeport Motorsports Park with the Rapid Tire USAC East Coast Wingless Sprint Cars.
Amantea had planned to compete with the series on Friday at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa., as well before cold weather cancelled the event.
“It was really a bummer that Williams Grove got cancelled as I was looking forward to it, but we had a great run at Bridgeport and that’s something to be excited about,” he said. “Bridgeport is really in my wheelhouse and is a place where I’m comfortable at so to have speed there and get a good run is exactly what we needed as a team.”
Amantea began the night by finishing where he started – third – in a heat race. He then grabbed the sixth starting spot in the main event courtesy of the feature redraw. Amantea moved inside the top five within the first handful of laps and by the halfway mark he’d advanced into the third position. With the leaders battling each other heavily throughout the second half of the event, Amantea remained patient in hopes of capitalizing on their aggressiveness before he settled for third at the checkered flag.
“We were really fast from the moment we came off the trailer and I’m just really proud for our team to do that in our first race out together in wingless competition,” he said. “Those guys in front of us were really battling and our car just kept getting stronger. I was hoping maybe they’d use their stuff up or make a mistake, but to end up on the podium is a great way to start the wingless portion of the year.”
The third-place finish was not only a career best with the series for Amantea – his previous best was fifth last season at Bridgeport Motorsports Park – but it also served as a confidence booster for the Mt. Pocono, Pa., native following a disappointing winged 360ci sprint car opener that saw him fail to qualify for the A Main the previous weekend.
“Just coming from my background in wingless racing, I know I’m way more comfortable and confident in the wingless car right now,” he said. “We know we can compete and we know we have speed. Now it’s about learning and getting better with the wing on going forward. Obviously winged and wingless is different, but there’s a lot we can take from this weekend to that side of the program.”
Next up for Amantea will be his first 600cc micro sprint start of the season in wingless competition at Spirit Auto Center Speedway in Swedesboro, N.J., this Friday before a trip to Port Royal Speedway in Port Royal, Pa., on Saturday with the USAC East Coast Wingless Sprint Cars. Amantea scored an 11th-place finish during his lone start at Port Royal Speedway last year and he’s looking to improve on that.
“We got to run a race at Port Royal last season and I really fell in love with the place and I can’t wait to get back there,” he said. “The race we ran there last season was a day-time show, so hopefully night-time conditions will allow for a track with more moisture and we can really see show what we have in terms of speed. I feel like we’ll be competitive and I’m excited about the opportunity.”
QUICK RESULTS –
April 3 – Bridgeport Motorsports Park in Swedesboro, N.J. – Heat race: 3 (3); Feature: 3 (6).
SEASON STATS –
2 races, 0 wins, 1 top five, 1 top 10, 1 top 15, 1 top 20
UP NEXT –
Friday at Spirit Auto Center Speedway in Swedesboro, N.J., and Saturday at Port Royal Speedway in Port Royal, Pa., with the Rapid Tire USAC East Coast Wingless Sprint Cars
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.joeyamantearacing.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joeyamantearacing/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/joeyamantea88J
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Stinger Race Fuel Products
Stinger Race Fuel Products is exclusive to Insinger Performance and offers a broad range of performance fuels that include Leaded, Unleaded, Ethanol-focused, Methanol/Racing Alcohol and Non-Ethanol choices to meet the needs of those within the racing community. To contact a Stinger Race Fuel Products technical expert, call (302) 273-3982 or visit https://insingerperformanceinc.com/stinger-race-fuel/.
“To achieve your dreams and goals in this sport you need great partners who provide quality products and I believe Stinger Race Fuel is the best out there,” Amantea said. “I’m very grateful for their support and look forward to continued success together.”
Amantea would also like to thank JPA Masonry, 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 Apr 06, 2021
- Article Date: 4/6/2021 by Inside Line Promotions