Updated throughout the day with quick takes from staff.
Dr. Joseph Mattioli, the Pocono Raceway founder who helped NASCAR survive in the Northeast, died Thursday at age 86 following a lengthy illness.
Mattioli stuck by NASCAR when the sport wasn't as popular as it was now, agreeing to add a second race date when Bill France asked him to help showcase the Cup Series twice a year at a track only two hours from New York City and Philadelphia.
France also talked Mattioli out of selling the track in 1975, which proved to be a decision neither regretted. The families remained close as NASCAR's fortunes rose.
"There's no question that 'Doc' was very symbolic to the passion of our sport," NASCAR President Mike Helton said upon learning of the news. "When you say 'Pocono,' everybody has their own different interpretation of your first reaction to saying 'Pocono.' But it's certainly the character and the passion and the impact that Doc and Rose Mattioli made on our sport will be forever engrained in it, and it's sad to hear of his passing."
Mattioli founded Pocono Raceway in the 1960s, and it remains the only family-owned track in NASCAR. He handed the reins to his grandson, Brandon Igdalsky, last August.
"It's very sad to hear that," NASCAR Chairman Brian France said. "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."
Dover International Speedway president Denis McGlynn called Mattioli "one of our sport's most passionate supporters."
"(He was) a great friend to everyone in the racing community – most especially the fans," McGlynn said. "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 served as a medic in World War II, then returned to Pennsylvania and became a dentist before investing in real estate projects that included Pocono Raceway.
He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Rose, three children, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
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