Pocono Raceway: A very special place
By Liz Allison, Turner Sports Interactive
July 25, 2001
2:19 PM EDT (1819 GMT)
There are only three privately owned tracks left on the Winston Cup circuit. New Hampshire, Indianapolis and Pocono are the last of their kind.
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Liz Allison
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The large corporations have taken over the other venues, and with that it seems you lose the "small town feeling" that surrounds a family-owned track. So with this in mind, it's always special when the circuit heads to a family owned-and-operated facility, and that is exactly what you get at Pocono Raceway.
Dr.'s Joe and Rose Mattioli became involved in the formation of Pocono Raceway in the mid-1960s. They were both dentists looking for a different path in their lives. The couple put everything they had in to the raceway and they've worked very hard to make the track what it is today.
What makes Pocono so different from other tracks are the personal relationships that the Mattioli's have with every racing family in that garage area. On any given day, you will see the two of them making the rounds to make sure that everyone is happy and has everything they need.
The Mattioli's have a way about them. You become more than just their friends -- they make you a part of their family. They know everyone's children by name and not a year has gone by that my children haven't received a birthday card or a Christmas greeting from them.
In June, Joe and Rose dedicated the garage area to Adam Petty, who lost his life in a practice run at New Hampshire International Speedway in May of 2000. While growing up, Adam spent many years hanging out at the track watching his father, Kyle, race. The Mattioli's loved Adam as their own. Naming the garage area was their special way to make sure that Adam would always be remembered at their facility.
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Joe Mattoli
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Long before there were any plush children's play areas that you can now find at any given Winston Cup track, the Mattioli's had a lounge area for wives to bring their children and to visit with all of their friends. They would serve a beautiful buffet on Sunday for the families to eat. The drivers would pop in to see their kids, share a bite, and then head off to the race. This remains a Pocono tradition.
Another tradition at Pocono is the Friday night picnic that the Mattioli's host for all of the racing families. This is a fun time for everyone to get together before the race weekend begins.
The racetrack itself has quite a bit of history. There have been some memorable races on the famed three-turned track.
In several instances, the caution was thrown because rabbits, chickens or deer had made their way on to the track. One year in particular, Neil Bonnett hit a deer during a practice run and did quite a bit of damage to the front end of his car.
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Pocono Raceway
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There have been some spectacular accidents on this track as well. In July 1982, Tim Richmond and Dale Earnhardt got together, sending the Intimidator into the wall and flipping him upside down before the car landed back onto the track. Bobby Allison had his career-ending accident on the first lap of the June race in 1988. And who could forget the unbelievable wreck that Davey Allison had while trying to hold onto the lead in the July 1992 event? Davey collided with Darrell Waltrip, sending Davey barreling across the track -- flipping 11 times in four seconds.
While some drivers will think of Pocono as "the one that got away," there are others who will always hold Pocono near and dear to their hearts -- drivers like Jeremy Mayfield, who captured his first Winston Cup victory there in 1998.
This weekend's race at Pocono is just a few days away. And there will be a couple of things that you can count on.
One of those is you will see a great race. And the other is you can bet the Mattioli's will be standing in that garage area when the competitors arrive -- and they'll still be there when they leave. You can be sure of that. Afterall, Pocono is a family-owned track, and that's what families do.
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