Joe Amato (dragster driver)
Joe Amato (born June 13, 1944 in
Early life and education
Amato began racing cars as a teenager, when he worked at his family's auto parts store. He dropped out of high school to help run the store when his father had serious heart problems; eventually, Amato built the business into Keystone Automotive, a large and successful automotive wholesaler and distributor.
Racing career
Between 1982 and 2000, Amato finished in the Top 10 every year and, in 1983, earned his first Top Fuel victory in Montreal in 1983. His final career victory came in Reading, Pennsylvania in 2000.
Eye surgery forced him to retire from competitive driving at the end of the 2000 season. He then participated as a team owner until selling the business and retiring permanently in 2005.
On the National Hot Rod Association Top 50 Drivers, 1951–2000, Joe Amato was ranked No. 9.[1]
He currently resides in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania (Glenmaura, Montage Mountain) and [[West Palm Beach, Florida. Amato has married three times
In 2008, Amato's record of five championships in the Top Fuel division was beaten by Tony Schumacher, who won his sixth championship that year.
His corporate office is in
Awards
- He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2005.
- He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2004.[3]
References
- ^ No. 9: Joe Amato Archived 2005-09-12 at the Wayback Machine; National Hot Rod Association; written 2001
- ^ "Joe Amato Story".
- ^ Joe Amato at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America