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Amantea Fights Lady Luck For 19th-Place Finish in Hyper Racing 600 Speedweek Standings

(Photo by Rick's Racing Photos)

Inside Line Promotions – SWEDESBORO, N.J. (Aug. 6, 2019) – Joey Amantea wrapped up five nights of racing as part of the 10th annual Hyper Racing 600 Speedweek Presented by 600cc Performance with a 19th-place finish in the standings.

The Mt. Pocono, Pa., native qualified for four of five A Mains with a best finish of 15th coming on Saturday at Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway (Lanco) in Newmanstown, Pa.

Speedweek kicked off for Amantea with a trip to Action Track USA in Kutztown, Pa., last Wednesday. He moved forward in his heat race and locked himself into the A Main out of the qualifier as a result of being in the top 18 in passing points. In the feature event he ran as high as the eighth position when he got caught up in a wreck and went to the rear before being credited with a 19th-place result.

“We had a good car, but ultimately luck wasn’t on our side,” he said. “It went better than I expected coming in and I was happy with the progress we made.”

Next up was a trip to Path Valley Speedway in Spring Run, Pa., on Thursday for the first time of his career. He lost two positions in his heat race and as a result was forced to run in the B Main. Amantea got caught up in a wreck and had to go to the rear of the field early. He worked his way forward and ultimately missed qualifying for the feature by one position after a fifth-place finish.

“It was an interesting night where we had a lot of ups and downs,” he said. “I think we were gaining on things and then we got caught in another wreck. I almost came back to qualify though and that shows the fight in our team.”

Linda’s Speedway in Jonestown, Pa., was next on the schedule and it marked a return to familiarity for the young driver. After moving forward from fourth to second in his heat and locking himself into the feature via the qualifier, Amantea started Friday’s main event in the 17th position. Unfortunately, he got caught up in an accident on Lap 6. Amantea was able to finish the race, but the car was suffering as a result of the wreck and he settled for a 23rd-place result.

“I really liked the track and the car was really good all night,” he said. “But once we got in that wreck the car just wasn’t competitive anymore. I wanted to finish the race and I did, but ultimately it was a disappointing finish.”

Saturday featured a trip to Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway. In heat race action Amantea moved forward two positions from fourth to second and he once again locked himself into the feature via the qualifier. On a track that featured slide jobs throughout the field and provided excellent racing, Amantea was quickly on the move from his 14th starting spot. He climbed inside the top 10 before he once again got caught up in an accident on Lap 8. Amantea rallied to finish 15th for his best result of the week and his 29th top 15 of 2019.

The finale was hosted by Spirit Auto Center Speedway on Sunday. Amantea maneuvered from seventh to fourth in his heat race, but a struggle in the qualifier forced him to run the B Main. Amantea won that to transfer into the main event. He rallied from 19th to eighth by Lap 15, but the car became extremely loose and he struggled to find grip for the remainder of the race, fading to a 20th-place outing.

“I was doing everything I could just not to spin out on the straightaways,” he said. “I was proud of myself that I ended Speedweek on a high note by winning the B Main and ultimately we just missed the setup at the end of the day.”

Amantea was credited with 19th in the Speedweek standings.

“I think we were a top-10 car and we seemed to be moving forward every night we hit the track,” he said. “We had a lot of bad luck with wrecks. But for me, I think the top 24 cars are your top guys at the close of things and to finish inside of that means we were successful. I learned a lot and I think it can only benefit us going forward.”

Next up on the schedule will be three nights of racing with a Wednesday stop at Action Track USA, a Friday visit to Linda’s Speedway and Saturday will feature Amantea’s return to Hamlin Speedway in Hamlin, Pa.

QUICK RESULTS –

July 31 – Action Track USA in Kutztown, Pa. – Heat Race: 4 (6); Feature: 19 (14).

Aug. 1 – Path Valley Speedway in Spring Run, Pa. – Heat race: 4 (2); B Main: 5 (4).

Aug. 2 – Linda’s Speedway in Jonestown, Pa. – Heat race: 2 (4); Feature: 23 (17).

Aug. 3 – Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway in Newmanstown, Pa. – Heat Race: 2 (4); Feature: 15 (14).

Aug. 4 – Spirit Auto Center Speedway in Swedesboro, N.J. – Heat Race: 4 (7); B Main 1 (1); Feature: 20 (19).

SEASON STATS –

41 races, 1 win, 11 top fives, 20 top 10s, 29 top 15s, 33 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Wednesday at Action Track USA in Kutztown, Pa.; Friday at Linda’s Speedway in Jonestown, Pa.; and Saturday at Hamlin Speedway in Hamlin, Pa.

MEDIA LINKS –

Website: http://www.joeyamantearacing.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joeyamantearacing/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/joeyamantea88J

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Amantea Real Estate

Amantea Real Estate is a residential and commercial real estate company based in Mount Pocono, Pa. For more information, visit http://www.AmanteaRealEstate.com.

“I’m very happy to have an esteemed company like Amantea Real Estate back our team,” Amantea said. “I’m very grateful for their support and look forward to continued success together.”

Amantea would also like to thank JPA Masonry, 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.

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