During his two decades as one of Top Fuel's most successful drivers, Joe Amato wasn't the flashiest driver in the pits and he was seldom outspoken or controversial, but he did have an uncanny knack for finding the winner's circle. From his early days in the Pro Comp class through his record five NHRA Winston Top Fuel championships, the affable and popular Pennsylvania businessman seemingly won at will. In addition to his five Winston titles, Amato's résumé includes 52 victories in Top Fuel and another five behind the wheel of an alcohol-fueled dragster. A longtime fan favorite due to his easygoing nature and willingness to interact with the public, Amato competed in 99 final rounds in Top Fuel and won the Budweiser Shootout at Pomona a record six times. He finished in the top 10 an incredible 19 straight years, from 1982 through his sudden retirement at the end of the 2000 campaign.

Amato's success on the dragstrip was paralleled by his achievements in the boardroom. As president of Keystone Automotive Warehouse, he became one of the world's largest distributors of high-performance automotive parts and accessories and was able to parlay that status into a number of successful long-term sponsorships. As a result, his racing efforts were never underfinanced.

As were many of the sport's stars, Amato was introduced to drag racing at an early age. He recalled the events that led him to his first event: "When I was 11, my father sold his deli and opened an auto parts store. Some of the guys who worked for my father would race on weekends, and they would take me with them to the track. I've been hooked on racing ever since.

"My first car was a '53 Ford. I fiddled with the distributor and worked on the carburetor until the tach would go to 5,000 rpm, a thousand more than when I started."

Five years after his father opened the auto parts store, Amato was faced with a monumental decision, one that would shape both his life and his career. His father was forced to quit working after undergoing open-heart surgery, and several of his employees left the company. At just 16, Amato chose to quit school to run the family business. His father never fully recovered and died four years later, leaving Amato to manage an expanding business that had grown to five stores specializing in speed accessories.

Despite the heavy workload, Amato found time to race, and he soon realized that the more successful he was in racing, the more prosperous his business became. He campaigned a series of moderately successful Alcohol Funny Cars before switching to an Alcohol Dragster in 1979 and scoring his first NHRA national event victory, in Pro Comp at the Gatornationals in Florida. He scored again at the 1980 Le Grandnational-Molson in Canada, and in 1981, Amato enjoyed a breakthrough season, winning three national events.

Buoyed by his success, Amato made the leap to Top Fuel in 1982. He did not reach a final round in his rookie season, but he did manage a respectable sixth-place finish in the points standings. A year later, he won three times and challenged Gary Beck for the Winston title.

At the 1984 Gatornationals, Amato and longtime crew chief Tim Richards debuted a new chassis design that featured a number of major changes, the most obvious of which was a rear wing that was mounted higher and farther back from previous designs. With that car, Amato became the first Top Fuel driver to eclipse the 260-mph mark. He also won three races during the season and captured his first Winston title.

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