NHRA Joe Amato Mastery of Denver track a plus for Russell

DENVER (July 15) – In the 23-year history of Bandimere Speedway, no
single drag racer has excelled on this famous quarter-mile quite like
Joe Amato. During his illustrious driving career Amato raced to eight
final rounds and six national event victories in Denver, including four
wins in a row, making himself the undisputed king of Thunder Mountain.

Now, as the POWERade Drag Racing Series returns for this weekend’s Mopar
Parts Mile-High Nationals, the retired Amato will lend his unparalleled
knowledge of high-altitude racing to sophomore driver Darrell Russell
and new crew chief Wayne Dupuy, as they try to once again guide Amato’s
Bilstein Engine Flush System dragster to the Victory Circle.

“Ever since Joe hired me to replace him in the seat of his race car I’ve
felt so fortunate to have him coaching me along,” the 33-year-old
Russell said. “Most teams get thrown for a loop when they race in Denver
because the tune-ups they normally use don’t work all that well at
altitude. For us, all we need to do is turn to Joe and ask him how he
did it all those years. It sure is nice to have the best Top Fuel driver
of all-time on your team.”

Aside from the obvious benefits of tapping into five-time champion and
52-time national event winner Amato’s unlimited pool of experience,
Russell and Dupuy can lean on their own successes in the first half of
the season. In nine races since Dupuy joined the squad, Russell has
vaulted from 13th to fifth place in the points with a win in Topeka, a
runner-up finish in Bristol, an overall race day mark of 12-8, and six
top-half qualifying berths.

“We’ve been improving every race to the point where we feel like we’re
just as good as any of the other top teams,” Russell said. “Hopefully,
the edge we can gain from Joe and his winning record in Denver will be
the difference this year. I know it’s helped a bunch to have a few weeks
off between races so everyone could catch up on their work and enjoy
some time with their families. It’s got us all pumped up and ready to
go.

“We’re also very excited to be debuting a brand-new paint scheme at this
race. The Bilstein Engine Flush System dragster will sport a yellow,
orange, and red custom flame-job that I know people will love. It’s sure
to draw a lot of attention to our team and our great group of sponsors -
Bilstein Engine Flush, American Racing Wheels, Valvoline, Keystone
Automotive, and Matco Tools. We’d love to put it in the Winner’s
Circle.”

ESPN will carry the qualifying rounds of the 23rd annual Mopar Parts
Mile-High Nationals from 7-9 p.m. (ET), Saturday. Final round coverage
runs in primetime from 6-9 p.m. (ET), Sunday, on ESPN2, with a
rebroadcast from 2-4 p.m. (ET), Tuesday, July 23, on ESPN2.