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NHRA: Tenneco Automotive Race Teams and Joe Amato 'Ready'

15 May 1999

Don't count Joe Amato and the Tenneco Automotive Top Fuel Team out of the 1999 NHRA Winston Championship points chase yet. Amato and company are focused on a win at the Advanced Auto Parts Southern Nationals in Commerce, Georgia this weekend. This is exactly the point when Amato turned his season around last year with back-to-back wins in Dallas and Englishtown. This year, lucky race number seven is at Atlanta Dragway, the Joe heads for his home turf in Englishtown.

Joe Amato knows how to rack up points at the Southern Nationals too; having won this event in 1984, and posted runner-up finishes in '85, '87, '88, '90, and '92. Admittedly having an up-and-down season, Amato and crew chief Jimmy Prock feel confident they can put it all together and make a bid for the Championship. They've already demonstrated they have the ability to win, with a big come-back victory at Firebird Raceway in Phoenix. The new car is also showing world record promise too - it ran 326.67 mph in Dallas - the third fastest top speed in NHRA history.

The five time Winston NHRA Champ is hoping to get the team's momentum back with a good showing in Georgia. With a little luck, and the determination of the highly talented Tenneco Automotive Top Fuel crew, race number seven could well be the turning point of this frustrating season. And as everyone knows, when Joe Amato rolls into Englishtown, where he's won Top Fuel five times, he will be very tough to beat.

George Marnell; DynoMax Performance Exhaust Pro Stock Firebird

George Marnell has shown repeatedly this season that he has both the hardware and the capability to win a big National Race. With the exception of Dallas, Marnell has consistently posted top half of the field qualifying times and is a safe bet for a number 3 or 4 slot on the ladder any weekend. George ran a 6.86 in Richmond, qualifying in the 4th spot in the quickest Pro Stock field in NHRA history.

"We're very excited about our prospects for the Southern Nationals" commented Marnell. "We have a new GM engine that shows 15 more horsepower on the dyno than the one we ran the 6.86 with in Richmond. This car is right on the verge of going 200 mph and with a little cool weather, it could happen in Atlanta. The crew has also made changes to the clutch pedal to make it more comfortable for me and that should help or consistency at the light considerably. We've had our share of clutch problems this year, but I think we finally have those gremlins behind us. I'm ready to put the DynoMax Performance Exhaust Pontiac Firebird in the winner's circle;and Atlanta Dragway is a good place to do it!"

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