Tag: Doc Mattioli

  • Doc Mattioli, Father of Pocono Raceway, Receives NMPA Hall of Fame Honor

    Doc Mattioli, Father of Pocono Raceway, Receives NMPA Hall of Fame Honor

    Photo Credit: poconoraceway.com
    Photo Credit: poconoraceway.com

    Just one week shy of the one year anniversary of his passing, Joseph ‘Doc’ Mattioli, father of Pocono Raceway, was remembered in a very special way. Mattioli received one of the sport’s highest honors, induction into the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame.

    “It definitely is a bittersweet moment for our family but it is also a great honor for my grandfather,” Brandon Igdalsky, President of Pocono Raceway, said. “It is a week away from the anniversary of his death and it is a tough week.”

    “We all looked up to and idolized him.” Igdalsky continued. “So, it’s nice to honor him in this way.”

    Mattioli was inducted into the NMPA Hall of Fame by Deb Williams, a family friend and an award winning journalist who has covered the sport of NASCAR for over 30 years. Doc’s love of his life and wife, Dr. Rose Mattioli, was also on-hand, as were many other family members, to witness the honor.

    “Doctor Joseph Reginald Mattioli Jr. was his formal name,” Williams began as she inducted her friend in front of hundreds of NMPA members and former Hall of Famers. “But we all knew him simply as ‘Doc’.

    “The son of Italian immigrants, he called Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania home, moving there after his parents divorced,” Williams continued. “And like many of his generation, he experienced the atrocities of war serving as a Navy corpsman in the Pacific during WWII.”

    “Doc’s military service provided him with the GI Bill and the opportunity to attend Temple University in Philadelphia,” Williams said. “While obtaining his dentistry degree, he met and fell in love with Rose, a podiatry student. Of course we all know her as Dr. Rose.”

    “After graduation, Doc and Dr. Rose opened their respective practices,” Williams continued. “But he followed a different course with his practice, providing office hours no one else did.”

    “They were more like racer’s hours, from early morning to late evening and, needless to say, this was a tiring schedule.”

    “So in the 1960’s he cut back his practice,” Williams said. “It was during this time that he became involved in real estate development in the beautiful Pocono Mountains, including Pocono Raceway.”

    “During this time, Doc became involved with a group of investors who had an idea to construct a major speedway,” Williams continued. “Doc poured his heart and soul into building one of NASCAR’s most challenging tracks.”

    “In fact, he was often found on a bull dozer taking care of business,” Williams said. “His spirit and determination overcame every obstacle he faced and he was a pioneer in NASCAR’s growth in the Northeast.”

    “Today, Pocono Raceway’s Sprint Cup events are among the largest spectator sports events in the state of Pennsylvania,” Williams continued. “At 86 years of age, Doc completed his latest project, a three megawatt solar farm that made Pocono the largest renewable energy sport facility in the world and a leader in NASCAR’s commitment to environmental responsibility.”

    “Today Doc would be described as a workaholic,” Williams said. “But his generation had come through the Great Depression and a World War, so working hard was merely the way you lived your life.”

    “Your word was your bond and you were proud of your family,” Williams continued. “That was a successful life. And Doc was successful not just in business but as a man.”

    “He cared about his family, his employees, his community, race fans, competitors and yes, the media,” Williams said. “Everyone was important.”

    “Doc Mattioli was the father of Pocono Raceway, a compassionate businessman and without him, Pocono Raceway, might not exist.”

    Brandon Igdalsky also remembered his grandfather for his generosity as he, along with his grandmother Dr. Rose, accepted the NMPA honors.

    “His philanthropic side was phenomenal,” Igdalsky said. “For a kid who grew up on a farm, if he had it, he would give it.”

    “He never cared for any recognition for it,” Igdalsky continued. “We had a cousin who thought my grandfather’s name was anonymous because of all he did for charities anonymously.”

    Igdalsky spoke for his entire family when he reflected on the legacy of his grandfather, especially as he followed in his footsteps as President of his beloved race track.

    “I always felt that if I could fill a portion of his heel, let alone his shoe, that I’ve accomplished something in my life,” Igdalsky said. “The man is a legend.”

    “In our family, he is a legend and in our community, he is a legend for what he has done there,” Igdalsky continued. “He had a lot of ideas and sometimes we looked at him like he was out of his mind but growing up in the business and watching him was amazing.”

    “We argued, we agreed to disagree but in the end I understood,” Igdalsky said. “It was his playground and his sand box.”

    “And it’s still his sand box and will always be his sand box,” Igdalsky continued. “That’s why when you roll through the tunnel at Pocono Raceway, the sign says ‘Welcome to Doc’s Place.’

    “My eight year old daughter decided that we needed to put that sign up this year and that sign will be up as long as we’re around.”

    Doc Mattioli joined the other 2013 NMPA Hall of Fame inductees Jim Hunter and Ken Squier. Last year’s inductees included Richard Childress and Ricky Rudd.

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Pocono 400 Presented by #NASCAR

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Pocono 400 Presented by #NASCAR

    [media-credit id=26 align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]With a shortened race, a repaved track, a snazzy new Twitter partnership, and Doc Mattioli looking down from heaven, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the Pocono 400 presented by #NASCAR.

    Surprising:  As the checkered flag flew at Pocono Raceway, it was surprising the history that was made by race winner and driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet. Joey Logano became the youngest Pocono winner ever at 22 years and 17 days, breaking the record set by Jeff Gordon, who won at 24 years of age.

    Logano also was the first pole winner in 31 races to go on to Victory Lane. The young driver led 49 laps, a career high, and will now race in the 2013 All-Star race.

    “Yeah, the moment is pretty surreal,” Logano said. “Not just crossing the line, obviously that’s an amazing moment, and I didn’t stop screaming until I got to about – well, victory lane, I guess.”

    “You work so hard to do this,” Logano continued. “To get a victory, it meant so much.”

    “Pulling the Home Depot car into victory lane at a Sprint Cup race and winning it the right way was just an amazing, amazing feeling that you can’t replicate and you can’t explain what it means.”

    Not Surprising:  It was not surprising that the second place finisher was gracious as always, even in defeat. Veteran driver Mark Martin, behind the wheel of the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota, came out on the wrong end of a bump and run to the young driver that he has been touting for many years.

    “I’m just so thankful to have the opportunity that Michael Waltrip, first of all, and Aaron’s and Toyota have given me to drive competitive race cars,” Martin said. “It is so incredible to be in something that is strong enough that I can contend.”

    Surprising:  It was surprising how focused and disciplined Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and crew chief Steve Letarte were at Pocono, pitting to take fuel and still finishing with a top-10.

    “Well, we just didn’t want to run out of gas,” Dale Junior said. “I didn’t know the caution flags were going to be so long. And they were long enough to help them guys make it on fuel.”

    “We’re not taking those kinds of chances – just yet.”

    Not Surprising:  On a newly-paved race track, it was not surprising that passing was challenging and restarts were even more insane. Both drivers of the Stewart Haas team could most certainly attest to that.

    “The restarts were insane,” Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Modbil1/Office Depot Chevrolet and third place finisher, said. “But you had to take full advantage of them.”

    “That was the biggest opportunity to make gains and definitely big gains,” Smoke continued. “You could get three or four at a time if somebody got bottled up a little bit.”

    “You had to be on your toes for the restarts for sure.”

    Teammate Ryan Newman, behind the wheel of the No. 39 Haas Automation Chevrolet, also had a tough time on restarts. With just 40 to go, Newman fell from sixth to 11th place due to a crazy restart, finishing the race in 12th.

    “I told the guys that I just got too aggressive on that restart,” Newman said. “It ended up costing us some spots there.”

    “At the end of the race, we just didn’t have the track position that we needed and we didn’t get the top-10 finish that we felt we deserved.”

    Surprising:  Team Dodge had a surprisingly tough day at the race track. Brad Keselowski wheeled his No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge to an 18th place finish, while AJ Allmendinger took one of the most brutal hits of his racing career in his No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge.

    “My team did a great job through all the adversity today,” Keselowski said. “We got caught twice on the timing lines and then we had some problems with the ignition.”

    “And at the very end, we lost brakes,” Keselowski continued. “It was just one fight after another.”

    “I’m not sure what happened,” Allmendinger said of his crash.”That was pretty hard, that might be one of the hardest hits I’ve had.”

    Not Surprising:   With over 22 speeding penalties meted out by NASCAR during the race, it will not be surprising to see crew chiefs galore on pit road at Michigan for the upcoming race weekend. One of the multiple speeding offenders was none other than five-time champ Jimmie Johnson.

    “Things were just repaved, everything has been redone and we need to physically walk down and mark it off ourselves to understand what happened there,” Johnson said. “We got nailed with a lot of other guys.”

    Surprising:  After a fitful start to the season, Jamie McMurray had a surprisingly good finish at Long Pond. The driver of the No. 1 Banana Boat Chevrolet finally pulled off a top-10 finish.

    “We had a really good Banana Boat Chevy today,” McMurray said. “I am proud of the effort from everyone one this team and feel good about the way we performed.”

    “It’s nice to walk out of here with a top-10 finish.”

    Not Surprising:  The monkey remained on the back of the driver of the No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet. In spite of running as well as top-five, Jeff Gordon and his team made the decision to pit for fuel with just 23 laps to go.

    That decision bit Gordon yet again, relegating him to a 19th place finish. The four-time champ has just 4 top-10 finishes in the last 17 races.

    And with the finish at Pocono, Gordon fell to 22nd in the point standings, with only wild card wins as his hope to get into the 2012 Chase.

    Surprising:  Kyle Busch and team No. 18 for Joe Gibbs Racing surprisingly suffered the second engine failure in a row at Pocono, finishing 30th.

    “It’s very frustrating,” Busch said. “We got knocked back on the first lap in traffic by a stupid move and we’re fighting our way back through and then we have another engine issue.”

    “We’re putting ourselves in a hell of a hole and it’s not going to be easy to come out of it.”

    Not Surprising:  With Greg Biffle’s valve train failure and 24th place finish, it was not surprising that a new points leader emerged after the checkered flag was waved at Pocono.

    Teammate Matt Kenseth, with his solid seventh place finish, took over the lead, ten points ahead of Dale Earnhardt. Jr., with Biffle falling to 16 points behind to third in the standings.

    “It’s unfortunate we fell back that far, but the points are so tight we knew that if we had an issue we were going to drop a lot,” Biffle said. “You’re vulnerable when you’re only one point or ten points ahead, but that’s racing.”

    “It’s better than being second,” Kenseth said of his points lead, “But I’m just kind of disappointed right now because I thought we had a shot to win.”

    “I couldn’t go on restarts,” Kenseth said. “We’ll keep working on it, but I’m happy we got a decent finish and took over the point lead.”

  • Pocono Preps for Tire Test and First Race without Patriarch

    Pocono Preps for Tire Test and First Race without Patriarch

    [media-credit name=”Photo credit: Pocono Raceway” align=”alignright” width=”200″][/media-credit]Pocono Raceway, thanks to the mild winter, has been abuzz with activity, including a total track repave and preparations for the upcoming tire test at the end of this month.

    Yet all of these activities have been undertaken with an eye to heaven and under the watchful eye of the late ‘Doc’ Mattioli, the track patriarch who passed away earlier this year.

    “The repave was pretty much a top to bottom reconstruction of the track,” Brandon Igdalsky, President & CEO of Pocono Raceway and grandson of ‘Doc’ Mattioli, said. “We went all the way down to the base of the track and put three or four more new layers.”

    Similar to the recent repave done in Michigan, Pocono track officials realized that, after sixteen years of wear and tear, it was time to get some new asphalt down on the ‘Tricky Triangle.’

    “The asphalt had just lived its life and it was just time to do it,” Igdalsky said. “It was 16 years old and a lot of use on it with the race and all the other events throughout the year.”

    “That all adds up over time, as well as the freeze/thaw cycles we get each year takes its toll.”

    While Igdalsky checked out the pavers used by some of the other tracks, he finally decided, for many reasons, to use someone closer to home for the repave.

    “We talked to the pavers that did the ISC and the SMI tracks,” Igdalsky said. “There’s a couple companies out there that both of them use.”

    “But with all the scheduling of the other tracks getting done, it wasn’t going to work out,” Igdalsky continued. “We have a relationship with a local, major paving operation here in Pennsylvania.”

    “They came in and did a fantastic job.”

    And was the repave costly?

    “It cost a lot,” Igdalsky said simply, with a chuckle. “It’s a hefty chunk of change. I’ll leave it at that.”

    But best of all, the repave has made the 2.5 mile track even faster than it was before.

    “I took a lap on the new surface and it’s smooth and fast,” Igdalsky said. “I can put my Tahoe into Turn One a lot faster than I could before.”

    “If I can do that in my Tahoe, I can’t imagine what they’ll be able to do in a Cup car.”

    While Igdalsky predicts the repaved track will be fast, Igdalsky refrained from predicting exact speeds that may be reached on the new asphalt.

    “The grip in Turn Three is so much better now,” Igdalsky said. “So, if they can get through Three and get a nice smooth run and they were hitting that 205 mph speed before, I can see them running at least five miles an hour faster.”

    “When we repaved in 1995 and when they came back that following June, they were seven miles an hour a lap faster on average,” Igdalsky said. “So, if we can get five or six miles per hour on the new asphalt per lap, the average lap time will be good.”

    “I’m excited to see what they’re going to do when they get here in two weeks, especially seeing the speeds they were getting in Michigan.”

    While Igdalsky may be excited about the speeds, he admitted that he has been a bit worried about getting the repaving done in time for the scheduled Goodyear tire test.

    “It definitely kept me up at night,” Igdalsky admitted. “I’ve been worried about getting the repaving done before the tire test and we got it done.”

    “Now it’s a matter of how it will react to the test and how the drivers are going to like it.”

    The all-important tire test has been scheduled for April 24th and April 25th at Pocono Raceway. Goodyear engineers will test a variety of compounds that will determine the best tires to be used for the June 10th Pocono 400.

    The drivers tentatively scheduled to participate in the Goodyear tire test at Pocono are Jamie McMurray, Kasey Kahne, Joey Logano, A.J. Allmendinger, and Aric Almirola. The drivers will represent all of the major teams, from Hendrick Motorsports to Richard Petty Motorsports.

    The test is open to the public and fans will be permitted to watch both days of testing from the grandstands free of charge.

    “We’re going to do some stuff with the drivers coming in but we don’t know how the schedule will go,” Igdalsky said. “It’s Goodyear’s show and they dictate what we do and don’t do.”

    “Goodyear is all about getting these tires tested and figuring out what they’re going to use and not use,” Igdalsky said. “It’s a pretty busy day for the Goodyear guys as well.”

    As the Pocono President and staff prepare for the tire test, they are also in full preparation mode for the race. Yet all of these preparations are being done with somewhat heavy hearts as everyone at Pocono continues to fill the void left by the passing of patriarch ‘Doc’ Mattioli.

    “As we move into a new chapter at Pocono Raceway, everyone is excitedly nervous,” Igdalsky said. “We’re all biting our nails for good weather but we’ve got some help with my grandfather up in heaven.”

    “He’ll do his best come June 10th to give us a nice, exciting weekend.”

    Igdalsky said that it has certainly been different at the track without the dominant presence of his grandfather.

    “Strange is an understatement,” Igdalsky said about the atmosphere without ‘Doc’. “I really miss my weekly sit-downs with him and going over everything with him.”

    “Personally, I miss him more than anything in the world,” Igdalsky continued. “And I know as a staff we miss him terribly.”

    “That first race is definitely going to be hard for everybody,” Igdalsky said. “Not seeing him up there on the Victory Lane stage for the start of the race will be like nothing we’ve ever experienced before.”

    In spite of the grief, however, Igdalsky and his family take great comfort in knowing that although ‘Doc’ is gone, Rose Mattioli will still be present throughout the race weekend.

    “We’re putting her to work this year,” Igdalsky said of his grandmother. “She will definitely be there.”

    “Once we’ve past the tire test, we’re into worrying about the race and the show it’s going to put on,” Igdalsky said. “So, June 10th at 7:00 pm when all is said and done, I’ll be happily cracking a bottle of champagne, toasting the heavens, and celebrating.”

  • Doc Mattioli Lived a Pocono Love Story

    [media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”221″][/media-credit]One of NASCAR’s true legends, Pocono Raceway track founder ‘Doc’ Mattioli, has passed away at the age of 86. While known as one of the most successful track owners and one of the true characters in the sport, ‘Doc’ will be most remembered for the love story that he lived.

    Dr. Joseph Mattioli had many loves in his life, from stock car racing to serving his country and helping others in need. But the most important loves in his life were his wife of 63 years, Dr. Rose, as well as his children and grandchildren.

    ‘Doc’ and Dr. Rose began their love story after meeting at Temple University, where Dr. Rose was working for the Registrar’s office at the time.  Dr. Rose said that ‘Doc’ was “the freshest guy” she had ever met, always trying to get to the head of the line.

    “He kept telling me he had a car, like that was a big deal,” Dr. Rose said of her future husband-to-be. “Little did I know that he would be the one that I would marry.”

    Dr. Rose and ‘Doc’ actually ran away to Baltimore in 1948 to get married. They kept their marriage a secret until they came back home and had an actual wedding ceremony, which all “seems like just yesterday,” according to Dr. Rose.

    The couple was destined to find each other, both living in the Philadelphia area. They also shared another common bond, that of being only children.

    After their marriage, Dr. Rose set up her practice as a podiatrist while ‘Doc’ set up shop as a dentist. They then started a family, blessed with two daughters and a son.

    Seeming to have it all, both Dr. Rose and ‘Doc’ worked hard at their thriving practices. But at the age of 35, ‘Doc’ experienced major burnout and confided to his wife that he needed to make a lifestyle change.

    So, the couple set of to pursue the newest love in their lives, that of owning a race track.

    “We were always curious about racing,” Dr. Rose said of herself and her husband. “We went to the races at Nazareth right after Sunday mass.”

    “We were in our Sunday best, all dressed up,” Dr. Rose continued. “We had no idea that the dirt would be flying everywhere and all over us.”

    “The children were crying,” Dr. Rose continued. “And I had to keep stuffing Kleenex in their ears to block out all of the noise of the engines racing around the track.”

    In spite of that inauspicious introduction to racing, ‘Doc’ and Dr. Rose continued their investigation of track ownership, learning that there was one under construction in Long Pond, PA.

    They flew over the track, fell in love, and the rest, as they say, was history.  The couple started off with USAC races and then moved into NASCAR, which was just expanding into the region from its southern roots.

    The first NASCAR race at the Mattioli’s track was won by Hall of Famer Richard Petty. The Mattiolis then met the father of NASCAR, Bill France Sr., who took them both under his wing and taught them the business.

    “More and more people started to come to the track,” Dr. Rose said. “Children and their families would come to see the races.”

    ‘Doc’ not only passionately loved his wife and his  successful Pocono Raceway, but he also adored his extended family. Mattioli leaves behind his daughters Louie and Michele, son Joseph Mattioli III, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, all of whom have been present with him in running the family business in one way or another.

    “His loss has left with each of us an unbearable sadness, which we’ll bear with us for the rest of our lives,” his family shared in a statement released on his death. “He died loved, respected, and admired.”

    In addition to his family, Doc’s other loves included serving his country, helping others and aiding the planet. Mattioli served his country during World War II as a Navy medic stationed in the Pacific.

    ‘Doc’ also loved helping others, participating in a variety of charities, from the Red Cross to local hospitals, schools and nonprofits. In 2009, Mattioli received the Philanthropic Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

    ‘Doc’ was also a visionary when it came to the environment, spearheading a solar energy project that has paid dividends not only for the race track but also for the local community.

    Mattioli’s family summed up the essence of the love story lived by ‘Doc’ Mattioli best.

    “He leaves not only his family, but also everyone he’s ever met with an insatiable desire to take life by the horns,” said Mattioli’s family. “He always lived life on his own terms.”

    “He did it his way.”

     

  • For Nick Igdalsky, Mattioli Grandson and New Track COO, Pocono is Personal

    Nick Igdalsky wears many hats at Pocono Raceway, from Mattioli grandson to ARCA driver to philanthropist and finally to his appointment as the newly named COO and Executive Vice President of the race track. Regardless of the title or the hat, however, for Igdalsky, Pocono is indeed personal.

    [media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”193″][/media-credit]“It’s always exciting,” Igdalsky said of his various roles. “You live in the moment and get as much as you can out of it.”

    “Where it gets tough is jumping from appointment to appointment and wearing different hats,” Igdalsky continued. “After the race, I have meetings with both sponsors for my car and sponsors for the track, as well as meeting dignitaries and VIPs.”

    “You can never stay in one place too long.”

    Igdalsky manages all of his personal and professional Pocono responsibilities through technology, literally setting alarms on his Iphone.

    “An alarm went off and told me that I to do go to the driver’s meeting and then an alarm went off that told me I had to come to the media center,” Igdalsky said. “You try to remember as much as you can but if you get caught up in the moment, things pass you by.”

    “My little electronic friend helps me out.”

    One of Igdalsky’s greatest personal joys is being behind the wheel of a race car, whether an ARCA ride or his Grand Am race car.

    “I’ll do five to six ARCA races,” Igdalsky said. “We’ll probably do Toledo at the end of the year.”

    “It’s been tough,” Igdalsky continued. “We haven’t really done as good as we thought we would. I’m with a team that’s sort of under-funded.”

    “Everybody wants to run well, but we just don’t have the resources to do that yet,” Igdalsky said. “We’re just trying to keep the car clean and keep it up in owner’s points and we may have a shot at it next year if we get a full season.”

    Racing is so personal in fact to Igdalsky that he hopes the day never comes when he has to make any kind of a choice between racing and managing his track responsibilities.

    “I’m going to live in both worlds until somebody tells me I absolutely cannot,” Igdalsky said with a smile. “I’ll wait until I get the ultimatum from either the wife or the office.”

    While not ultimatum has come yet, Nick Igdalsky had a most personal day at the track this weekend as his grandfather, affectionately known as ‘Doc’ Mattioli, retired and formally turned over the responsibilities of operations of the track to Nick, his brother Brandon, who was named President and CEO, and his sister Ashley, who is the new Secretary/Treasurer.

    “We’re fortunate we have great grandchildren,” Doc Mattioli said. “Fifty years went by damn fast and now it’s about time to take it a little easy and get the hell out of here.”

    “I’m quite sure that Brandon, Nick and Ashley are well trained to do what they have to do,” Mattioli continued. “They’re really good kids and smart kids.”

    From Igdalsky’s perspective, he’s had the best teacher ever in his grandparents, Doc and Doc Rose Mattioli. Because of that, Igdalsky has already pronounced that his new slogan will be, “When in doubt, ask what Doc would do.”

    Now that he has even more of a personal stake in Pocono, Igdalsky is continuing another very personal connection, connecting with a charity called Michael’s Way. And this personal connection hits very close to home.

    “Pocono Raceway has been working with Michael’s Way for the past couple years now,” Igdalsky said. “My nephew was diagnosed two years ago at the age of fifteen months with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma, a very rare type of cancer.”

    “He’s doing good now and he just had some scans done, with all of them coming back clear,” Igdalsky continued. “Through our relationship with Michael’s Way, they support the families of children, like my nephew, with cancer.”

    “They don’t pay for the treatments but they do pay for all the other costs,” Igdalsky said. “For instance, there are lots of families that one of the families might have to stop working because of all the treatments they have to get to, which is a problem.”

    “So, Michael’s Way helps with bills and travel, especially for those children whose immune systems are compromised,” Igdalsky continued. “It’s pretty unique because 100% of all the proceeds go directly to the cause and the families.”

    Michael’s Way is even more personal as Igdalsky’s nephew was selected last year as the ‘poster boy’, making many personal appearances on behalf of the charity. For this weekend’s ARCA race, Michael’s Way will also be featured prominently on Igdalsky’s race car.

    “Since we don’t have a sponsor for this race, we’re keeping them on our car,” Igdalsky said. “You can donate on their site which is michaelsway.org and they’re also doing a raffle at the track where you have a chance to win either a 2011 Harley Davidson or $10,000 cash.”

    “Nick’s involvement with Michael’s Way has been invaluable,” Trish Fulvio, development consultant with the charity, said. “He and Brandy, his wife, do everything straight from the heart.”

    “Nick has allowed us to bring Michael’s Way to the attention of a whole new group of people,” Fulvio continued. “His partnership translates into more funds to give to the families of children with cancer.”

    While family has always been most personal to Igdalsky, from his family track to his philanthropic family, Igdalsky now has a whole new perspective on family as a proud papa of a five month old daughter.

    “When you have a bad day and you come home and you see her little face smiling at you, it definitely makes the bad days better,” Igdalsky said. “And it gives you something to look forward to at the end of the day.”

    “It’s overwhelming,” Igdalsky continued. “I’m living two dreams.”

    “I’m helping out in the family business that I was involved in ever since I was a little boy,” Igdalsky said. “And with the racing, it’s been my dream since a young boy to race cars too.”

    “I not only get to do both but I get to do it at my home track.”