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73:, on June 13, 1944. He 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.
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until he was killed in an accident at the 2004 Sears
Craftsman Nationals at Gateway International Raceway in St. Louis. Morgan Lucas drove the car the remainder of 2004 and 2005, prior to Amato retiring.
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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.
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championship five occasions and scored 52 event victories, most of them with crew chief Tim
Richards. He was the first driver to exceed 260 mph and 280 mph in competition.
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Between 1982 and 2000, Amato finished in the Top 10 every year and, in 1983, earned his first Top Fuel victory in
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sedans wrapped to resemble classic liveries of the racers. He was eliminated in the semifinal round.
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In 2008, Amato's record of five championships in the Top Fuel division was beaten by
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Amato relaxing in his pit area as an owner at the 2001 Southern
Nationals at
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where eight NHRA legends were paired up in identical street-legal
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Top 50 Drivers, 1951–2000, Joe Amato was ranked No. 9.
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293:Sportspeople from Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
143:, who won his sixth championship that year.
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100:in 1983. His final career victory came in
113:drove Joe Amato's dragster from the 2001
153:In 2019, Amato participated in the 50th
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176:International Motorsports Hall of Fame
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49:(born June 13, 1944) is an American
244:Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
183:Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
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132:(Glenmaura, Montage Mountain) and
89:at the Mile High Nationals in the
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136:. Amato has married three times.
298:Racing drivers from Pennsylvania
288:People from Exeter, Pennsylvania
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130:Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania
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39:Amato after winning the 1979
214:National Hot Rod Association
123:National Hot Rod Association
55:National Hot Rod Association
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146:His corporate office is in
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148:Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania
181:He was inducted into the
174:He was inducted into the
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134:West Palm Beach, Florida
128:He currently resides in
65:Early life and education
16:American dragster driver
85:Amato dragster doing a
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157:in a special series,
115:NHRA Winter Nationals
102:Reading, Pennsylvania
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159:Unfinished Business,
71:Exeter, Pennsylvania
53:driver, who won the
208:2005-09-12 at the
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69:Amato was born in
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227:"Joe Amato Story"
29:Commerce, Georgia
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303:Dragster drivers
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261:Official website
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203:No. 9: Joe Amato
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210:Wayback Machine
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141:Tony Schumacher
111:Darrell Russell
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25:Atlanta Dragway
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253:External links
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163:Toyota Camry
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278:1944 births
272:Categories
190:References
240:Joe Amato
104:in 2000.
47:Joe Amato
206:Archived
185:in 2004.
178:in 2005.
98:Montreal
59:Top Fuel
51:dragster
242:at the
121:On the
87:burnout
169:Awards
91:Denver
31:, 2001
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