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Tag: Rose Mattioli

  • 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.”

  • 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.”