Pompano Beach, FL — Joe Pennacchio will be representing the United States in the 2020 World Amateur Cup, which will be held at Pompano Park beginning Feb. 22.

Joe Pennacchio will be representing the United States in the 2020 World Amateur Cup. Geri Schwarz photo.

Pennacchio earned the honor to represent the USA on Monday night (Feb. 10) at the South Florida oval by piloting the Walter La Freniere Jr. trainee B R Flying Dali to victory in the World Cup qualifier. Owned by William Mc Elvain Jr., the 8-year-old son of Dali covered his mile in 1:55.4, just getting up over the Dein Spriggs driven Firewater Jake.

It was a rare win for Pennacchio — not in numbers, per se, but for the fact that he was making a rare appearance back of a pacer. Pennacchio has been a stalwart member of the Florida Amateur Driving Club for many years and all starts for that club are for trotters.

“Yes,” Pennacchio lamented, “it’s rare that any of our amateur drivers get behind a pacer, so this win was extra special, to say the least.”

Pennacchio now has 186 career wins with his first one dating back to 1995 at Delaware, Ohio with Fox Valley Trump. He has competed with regularity on the European circuit and was the USHWA Amateur Driver of the Year in 2019.

In Monday night’s event, Pennacchio was competing against a stellar group of amateur drivers including four others who won USHWA’s Amateur Driver of the Year Award — Steve Oldford, Robert Krivelin, Dein Spriggs and Hannah Miller, all of whom have represented the U.S. in world competition.

Pennacchio hopes to become the first driver from the USA to win the elite competition saying, “I am sure that this will be a highly competitive event with the best of the best vying for supremacy. I just hope to compete safely and honorably for our country.”