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Sprint Cup
CUP: Remembering Doc Mattioli
Dr. Joseph Mattioli was the founder of Pocono Raceway...
Pocono Raceway founder Joseph Mattioli left a legacy to be remembered. (Photo: Getty Images)
NASCAR lost one of its true, larger-than-life personalities when Pocono Raceway founder Dr. Joseph Mattioli passed away Thursday at the age of 86.
Known simply as “Doc” to everyone in NASCAR, Mattioli was a gregarious and generous spirit and a true family man, someone who had never met a stranger.
Mattioli was one of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr.’s closest allies, and the defining moment in the track’s history came from a meeting of the two in New York City during the mid-1970s, when the track was in financial peril.
At the time, Mattioli wanted to sell the three-turn, 2.5-mile track. During the meeting, France took out one of his business cards and wrote on the back of it, “On the plains of hesitation lie the bleached bones of millions who when within the grasp of victory sat and waited and waiting died.”
Mattioli worked through the troubles and held onto the track, which is now valued at more than $600 million. And the infield media center at Pocono has a huge mural of both sides of that business card, a reminder of how Mattioli and wife Rose pushed ahead despite the challenges.
To the end, Mattioli remained close to the France family.
“The entire NASCAR family is saddened by the loss of a true icon in our sport, Dr. Joe Mattioli,” said NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France. “Doc’s relationship with my family reaches three generations, all the way back to my grandfather. His passion for the sport will live on in the hearts of his family and our fans. His contributions to our sport are wide-spread. We have lost a great leader — and a great person. NASCAR offers its deepest condolences to his wife Rose and the entire Mattioli family.”
The Mattiolis also had a close relationship with the ARCA series, which raced at Pocono annually.
“Doc Mattioli was a visionary, but he was unique in that he had the fortitude to follow through and fulfill his vision,” said ARCA president Ron Drager. “His strong will, strong work ethic, and family values made him a true individual in our sport. Doc and Rose and ARCA founders John and Mildred Marcum were friends and business associates for six decades, and that relationship continues today with the third generation. All of us in the ARCA community express our appreciation for Doc and wish the Mattioli and Pocono Raceway families our very best at this time.”
Late Thursday, the Mattioli family issued the following statement:
It is with the utmost remorse that we announce that Dr. Joseph Mattioli passed away this afternoon. His loss has left with each of us an unbearable sadness, which we’ll bear with us for the rest of our lives.
“Doc” was a true leader in every sense of the word. 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 hand over fist.
Beyond our family, he had a true love and admiration for the wonderful members of his North Eastern 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.
He leaves not only his family, but also everyone he’s ever met with an insatiable desire to take life by the horns. He always lived life on his own terms. He did it his way.
“Every man’s life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.” - Ernest Hemingway
He died loved, respected, and admired.
RIP, Doc. You were a giant among men, a gentle giant admired by all who knew you.
Arrangements For Dr. Joseph Mattioli
Viewing
Pocono Community Church, Route 611, Mount Pocono, Pa.
Sunday - January 29, 2012; 4:30 pm to 9 pm
Monday - January 30, 2012; 10 am to Noon
Funeral
1:30 pm Mass of Catholic Burial
St. Peter the Fisherman Roman Catholic Church
2111 Lake Drive, Lake Harmony, Pa.
Private entombment at the convenience of the family
* In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: The NASCAR Foundation, Attention: Dr. Joseph Mattioli Memorial Fund, 550 South Caldwell Street, Charlotte, N.C., 28202
Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEED.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100.
Known simply as “Doc” to everyone in NASCAR, Mattioli was a gregarious and generous spirit and a true family man, someone who had never met a stranger.
Mattioli was one of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr.’s closest allies, and the defining moment in the track’s history came from a meeting of the two in New York City during the mid-1970s, when the track was in financial peril.
At the time, Mattioli wanted to sell the three-turn, 2.5-mile track. During the meeting, France took out one of his business cards and wrote on the back of it, “On the plains of hesitation lie the bleached bones of millions who when within the grasp of victory sat and waited and waiting died.”
Mattioli worked through the troubles and held onto the track, which is now valued at more than $600 million. And the infield media center at Pocono has a huge mural of both sides of that business card, a reminder of how Mattioli and wife Rose pushed ahead despite the challenges.
To the end, Mattioli remained close to the France family.
“The entire NASCAR family is saddened by the loss of a true icon in our sport, Dr. Joe Mattioli,” said NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France. “Doc’s relationship with my family reaches three generations, all the way back to my grandfather. His passion for the sport will live on in the hearts of his family and our fans. His contributions to our sport are wide-spread. We have lost a great leader — and a great person. NASCAR offers its deepest condolences to his wife Rose and the entire Mattioli family.”
The Mattiolis also had a close relationship with the ARCA series, which raced at Pocono annually.
“Doc Mattioli was a visionary, but he was unique in that he had the fortitude to follow through and fulfill his vision,” said ARCA president Ron Drager. “His strong will, strong work ethic, and family values made him a true individual in our sport. Doc and Rose and ARCA founders John and Mildred Marcum were friends and business associates for six decades, and that relationship continues today with the third generation. All of us in the ARCA community express our appreciation for Doc and wish the Mattioli and Pocono Raceway families our very best at this time.”
Late Thursday, the Mattioli family issued the following statement:
It is with the utmost remorse that we announce that Dr. Joseph Mattioli passed away this afternoon. His loss has left with each of us an unbearable sadness, which we’ll bear with us for the rest of our lives.
“Doc” was a true leader in every sense of the word. 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 hand over fist.
Beyond our family, he had a true love and admiration for the wonderful members of his North Eastern 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.
He leaves not only his family, but also everyone he’s ever met with an insatiable desire to take life by the horns. He always lived life on his own terms. He did it his way.
“Every man’s life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.” - Ernest Hemingway
He died loved, respected, and admired.
RIP, Doc. You were a giant among men, a gentle giant admired by all who knew you.
Arrangements For Dr. Joseph Mattioli
Viewing
Pocono Community Church, Route 611, Mount Pocono, Pa.
Sunday - January 29, 2012; 4:30 pm to 9 pm
Monday - January 30, 2012; 10 am to Noon
Funeral
1:30 pm Mass of Catholic Burial
St. Peter the Fisherman Roman Catholic Church
2111 Lake Drive, Lake Harmony, Pa.
Private entombment at the convenience of the family
* In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: The NASCAR Foundation, Attention: Dr. Joseph Mattioli Memorial Fund, 550 South Caldwell Street, Charlotte, N.C., 28202
Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEED.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100.
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