Bill Fleischman: Pocono Raceway founder Mattioli dies

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.

After the Indy cars faded from view at Pocono, NASCAR established itself at the mountaintop track. Through it all, "Doc" Mattioli, supported by his wife Rose, was the force behind the 2.5-mile "Tricky Triangle." Mattioli, the track's founder board chairman, was smart, demanding, blustery, friendly, funny and stubborn.

Mattioli was an old-fashioned proud Pennsylvanian. For many years, the NASCAR races at his track, a former spinach farm, were called the Pocono 500 and the Pennsylvania 500. He also was extremely proud of the 3-year-old, 25-acre, solar-energy project near the raceway.

With his family at his side, Mattioli died at the Lehigh Valley Hospital Center in Allentown. Service arrangements have not been announced.

In addition to Rose, Mattioli is survived by daughters Louie and Michelle, son Joseph III, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

With his health declining, the former dentist from the Rhawnhurst section of Philadelphia last year turned over the daily operation of the raceway to grandsons Brandon and Nick Igdalsky. Pocono and Indianapolis are the last two family-owned tracks hosting NASCAR races.

This year, for the first time, Pocono's two NASCAR Sprint Cup races, June 10 and Aug. 5, will be shortened from 500 to 400 miles each.

At NASCAR's season-ending awards ceremonies last month, Doc and Rose, his wife of 63 years, received the Myers Brothers Award for outstanding contributions to auto racing. The Mattiolis have generously supported hospitals, charities and civic organizations.

Several years ago, I began favorably referring to Pocono Raceway as "Mount Mattioli." Doc never said anything about the nickname. In his prime, I always knew if I asked a question in a telephone interview that he wasn't happy with, I needed to hold the phone receiver far from my ear because his booming response would be heard for miles.

"Doc was a true leader in every sense of the word,'' the family said in a statement. "As a visionary, he brought an unknown sport into an alien place, where he along with his unstoppable will and undeniable tenacity built one of the biggest monuments of sports. His passion for his projects was only overshadowed by his deep love for his family, which he gave to all of us.

"Beyond our family, he had a true love and admiration for the wonderful members of his Northeastern Pennsylvania community. He had a great respect for all of the great people that laid the foundations of prosperity before him, and an even greater hope for the future of our area, which he believed lies in its youth."

Hearing about Mattioli's passing, Denis McGlynn, president and CEO of Dover International Speedway in Delaware, said, "We're all sorry to hear about Doc's passing. He was one of our sport's most passionate supporters and a great friend to everyone in the racing community, especially the fans. He was feisty and totally in charge of his domain, but he was also one of the friendliest people I've yet to meet."

Mattioli's relationship with NASCAR began with the late Bill France Sr., founder of the sanctioning organization. Informed yesterday of Mattioli's death, France's grandson Brian, now NASCAR's chairman, said, "He was a friend from the very beginning with my grandfather. It's very sad to hear. We're very close to the Mattioli family, and obviously our hearts go out to them.

"He was a great man, and he really, really cared a lot about this sport. He'll be missed."