Auto racing news and notes

Times wires
Friday, August 5, 2011

Pocono owner, 86, stepping aside

LONG POND, Pa. — Pocono Raceway owner Joseph Mattioli has resigned and turned over all his duties to his grandchildren.

Track president Brandon Igdalsky is the new CEO to go along with his title as track president.

Mattioli, 86, fought back tears Friday as he talked about his decision to step down. Mattioli, above, was in a wheelchair and held his wife's hand. He is a former dentist and known around the sport as "Doc."

Mattioli said "it's about time that I got the hell out of here."

Pocono Raceway holds two Sprint Cup races each season on its triangular 2½-mile track. Igdalsky had taken a bigger role as his grand­father scaled back his role.

"Brandon is well-trained, and he knows the track like the back of his hand," Mattioli said. "He's well prepared to do the things that have to be done."

Mattioli surprised everyone, telling Igdalsky and track officials to meet in the media room. When spokesman Bob Pleban handed over the microphone, that was when Mattioli broke the news.

Igdalsky, 35, called his grandfather a visionary in the sport.

"He always told me, 'If you get bored with what you're doing, change what you're doing,' " Igdalsky said. "Don't let work be a four-letter word."

ALMS to see first all-female tandem

The American Le Mans Series will see a first today — an all-female driving team.

Robertson Racing will make series history when driver and team co-owner Andrea Robertson is joined by veteran GT division driver Melanie Snow.

They will team in the No. 40 Doran Ford GT at the during today's Challenge of Mid-Ohio race in Lexington, Ohio.

Robertson usually shares driving duties with husband and fellow co-owner David Robertson, but he is sitting out today's 2-hour, 45-minute event, which is part of the undercard at this weekend's IndyCar event.

"Andrea and I have been friends for a while and always joked about forming an all-girl team," Snow said this week. "It was something I never really expected though, so when I got an e-mail out of the blue, it was a shock but also a nice surprise." The race airs on a tape-delayed basis Sunday at 10 p.m. on ESPN2.

Menard suddenly quite in demand

Until last weekend, Paul Menard had a reputation as a quiet driver. That changed when he won Sunday's Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for his first Sprint Cup win. "You know, it took me a solid day, in between all of our media stuff at ESPN, finally got some time," he said. "Lying in bed I couldn't sleep, so I started replying to a lot of text messages on the airplane to Connecticut and on the airplane back. … Probably 150 plus text messages, e-mails, phone calls. Makes a guy feel pretty good."

Elsewhere

Del Worsham had a run of 3.830 seconds at 319.07 mph to lead after two rounds of Top Fuel qualifying at the Northwest Nationals in Seattle. John Force (Funny Car) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) also led their classes. Qualifying continues today.

Times wires

Keselowski, already on broken ankle, has painful spin in practice

Brad Keselowski's broken left ankle ballooned to the size of a softball, and he needs a left shoe a size larger than his right one. Stay home? No way. Not only will Keselowski drive Sunday in the Sprint Cup race at Pocono Raceway, he says no amount of pain from his broken left ankle will force him out of the No. 2 Dodge. "It's been easier at times," he said, sitting outside his transporter. His week got worse in Friday's second practice session. He blew a tire, spun and had to slam the brakes, putting pressure on his injured ankle. "It's just been one of those weeks, I guess," he said. On Wednesday, he lost his brakes during a test session and crashed head-on into a wall at Road Atlanta. He slammed a section of wall that did not have an energy-absorbing barrier. Data showed he slowed from 155 mph to about 100 mph at the time of impact.

Good deed of the week

Hendrick Automotive Group is giving $250,000 to middle schools in Charlotte, N.C., so the district can continue to offer 13 sports. Because of falling revenues, the district planned to cut several sports in the upcoming school year. NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick said he will not put his automotive group's decals on uniforms during the one-year deal.

Source: http://www.tampabay.com/sports/auto-racing-news-and-notes/1184560

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