LAKE HARMONY, Pa. - Watching as Dr. Joseph Mattioli's American flag-draped casket was lifted into a waiting hearse, NASCAR president Mike Helton reflected on the legacy of the late Pocono Raceway founder.
WHEN I HEARD yesterday that Dr. Joseph Mattioli had died at age 86, I started thinking about our relationship. I began covering races at Pocono Raceway in the early 1970s. Back then Indy cars were the big show at Pocono, with Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt and the Unser brothers attracting crowds of almost 100,000.
TWO RACERS, separated by only three points, going all out in the season finale for the NASCAR Chase championship. It's Game 7 with the two best teams facing off.
DURING HIS legendary racing career Mario Andretti saw drivers killed in crashes. And yet, Andretti and his contemporaries kept climbing back in their race cars.
AS TELEVISION coverage of Dan Wheldon's death in the IndyCar Series race at Las Vegas neared the finish line Sunday evening, Marty Reid said people often ask him why he signs off ABC/ESPN auto-racing telecasts with "Till we meet again." Reid said he does it because "goodbye is so final." Then Reid said, "Goodbye, Dan Wheldon."
CAN HEAR CLEARWATER CALLING
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