Joey Licata

Joey Licata (born July 31, 1991) is an American professional stock car racing driver who competed full-time in the ARCA Racing Series, driving the No. 77 for Cunningham Motorsports. Licata started off the season with a top-ten finish at Daytona. He retired early at Talladega in the only other ARCA start of his career.

Racing career
Licata, a member of the Ron Sutton's Winner's Circle driver development program, won back-to-back championship in the ASA Truck Series and also won his first career NASCAR Modified race in 2010. Licata also made several starts for Tim Huddleston's High Point Racing at Toyota Speedway in a NASCAR Late Model.

With crew chief Jonathan Davis at the helm, the Kerry Scherer-owned Cunningham Motorsports should be a threat right out of the box at Daytona. Cunningham Motorsports is most notably known for its success in 2009 with Penske Development Driver Parker Kligerman, who finished second in the standings with nine victories as a rookie.

A litany of talented drivers has competed for the team over the years, including Josh Wise, Kevin Swindell, Scott Lagasse Jr., and more.

Ron Sutton's Winner's Circle is a NASCAR-oriented driver development program that works with an international roster of talented drivers who have the commitment and potential to succeed in NASCAR racing.

The success Licata enjoyed throughout 2010 on the West Coast earned him the opportunity to test with Cunningham Motorsports last fall. Licata impressed team representatives in the testing session and was offered the chance to drive for Cunningham in 2011.

Licata made his official ARCA Racing Series debut at Rockingham Speedway, where he practiced in the top-three all day for Marks Racing before a practice crash ended his weekend early.

Poised to make a big impact this season, Licata came out of the gate with a huge performance in the Daytona testing in January. Although it was his first experience on the freshly repaved Daytona International Speedway, Licata ran sixth overall for the week out of nearly 60 competitors that participated. His best speed was 186.670 mph.

NASCAR K&N Pro Series East career
NTS Motorsports is proud to announce the addition of young-driver Licata to its NASCAR K&N Pro Series East team. NTS Motorsports and Licata will use the 2013 season as a launching pad for contending in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Championship and Rookie of the Year honors in 2014. Licata's schedule includes three races for the 2013 season.

The 21 year-old driver from Lake Balboa, California, began his career in karting where he amassed six International Karting Federation Grand National Championships. With a resume that includes over 90 wins and two ASA Speed Truck Championships, Licata is looking to win races and championships in NASCAR's top touring series.

"I'm really looking forward to driving for such a great up and coming team like NTS Motorsports," said Licata. "I am confident that we can run strong and win races. That's what this year is all about; building momentum that will take us into next year, where we can go after a championship. I would like to sincerely thank NTS for this opportunity."

NTS Motorsports enjoyed early success in 2013 with its NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams. Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender, Brennan Newberry won the Keystone Light Pole Award at the NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway. Four-time series champion and NTS Motorsports veteran Ron Hornaday Jr. posted a third place finish leaving Daytona second in the NCWTS point standings.

"I am thrilled to get Joey behind the wheel of a race car, with the caliber of equipment in which NTS provides," explained Licata's management team. "Partnering his amazing driving talent with such a great team can only mean success. We have several marketing partners who have committed to support Joey and NTS and we are anxious to make those announcements in the very near future."

NASCAR
(key) ( Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. )

ARCA Racing Series
(key) ( Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. )