Pocono Raceway founder Joseph Mattioli dies

Joseph Mattioli, 86, who gave up a successful dental practice in Northeast Philadelphia to found Pocono Raceway, died Thursday after a lengthy illness.

Dr. Mattioli closed his dental practice at 34 to become an entrepreneur, investing in properties in Philadelphia and Northeastern Pennsylvania. Known to all as "Doc," he eventually founded Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa., the only remaining family-owned and -run track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule.

Pocono Raceway opened in July 1971 with a 500-mile Indy car race. The first Pocono 500, won by Richard Petty, was staged in 1974.

Today, two NASCAR Sprint Car races are held there, the Pocono 400 and the Pennsylvania 400.

"He was a friend from the very beginning with my grandfather, and I'm sad to hear the news," NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France told the Associated Press. "I'm very close with the Mattioli family. Obviously our hearts go out to them. He was a great man and cared a lot about the sport."

According to an article in June 9 in The Inquirer, Dr. Mattioli said that a $400 million offer couldn't pry the track from him. He said his children and grandchildren would inherit it.

"It has to stay in the family," Dr. Mattioli said.

In The Inquirer story, Dr. Mattioli said he generated new revenue by renting the track "365 days to some organization."

He developed multiple properties in the Poconos and more recently built a 25-acre solar-energy farm alongside the track.

Dr. Mattioli, who was born in Old Forge, near Scranton, served as a Navy medic in the Pacific during World War II. Using the G.I. bill, he enrolled in the dentistry program at Temple University after the war. There, he met his wife of 63 years, Rose, a podiatry student.

"Doc Mattioli was a visionary, but he was unique in that he had the fortitude to follow through and fulfill his vision," Automobile Racing Club of America president Ron Drager said in a statement. "His strong will, strong work ethic, and family values made him a true individual in our sport."

Known for his charitable work, Dr. Mattioli received the Philanthropic Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals in 2009.

His family released a statement that read in part: "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."

In addition to his wife, Dr. Mattioli is survived by daughters Louie and Michele and a son, Joseph Mattioli III; seven grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Arrangements were incomplete.