By Nick Igdalsky
Guest Columnist

Sludge. Not pretty. Doesn’t smell too good. It’s pretty sloppy stuff. However, when you’re born into a race-track family, you learn that one of the things that has to be done is pump septic waste.
My maternal grandparents, doctors Rose and Joe Mattioli, bought what was to become Pocono Raceway way back in 1957. My mother, Marylouise (better known as Looie) was their first-born, followed by Joe III and my aunt Michelle. Among them, the family numbers 14 people, 11 of whom work in motorsports in some fashion. Humility was taught at a tender age in my house!
Not only did I have the privilege of pumping sludge at Pocono, I was responsible at one time or another for mowing grass (it couldn’t be called a lawn), digging holes, painting and completing other tasks that are part and parcel of the glamour of track ownership.
By the time my 17th birthday had rolled around, I was hospitality coordinator for the track and had to take care of catering and services for all of Pocono’s suites and clubs, which held approximately 10,000 people on race weekends. If nothing else, it taught me to be organized, to be able to troubleshoot at a moment’s notice and to lead by example. (Being as young as I was, the only way to gain the respect from the staff was to out-hustle and out-work them!)
After two years of hospitality, Elon College beckoned and I began studies with a double concentration in marketing and management. Summers were spent at the track where my time was spent as sponsor and VIP liaison, assisting with pre/post race productions, with some time in corporate and sponsor sales.
After graduating in 1999, my luck landed me a job with Cotter Communications, a public relations and marketing firm specializing in motorsports. I stayed with the company until its sale to SFX in 2000. Working at Cotter was a tremendous influence on me as it has helped guide my career path to this day.
When my stint at Cotter ended, my brother, Brandon, and I started the Blakeslee Inn and Restaurant, where two years of my life went by very quickly. To say we were successful is an understatement, but something called me — the family business.
Right now I am vice-president and supervise the family’s newest entity, South Boston Speedway in Virginia. Believe it or not, I still have to make sure the sludge is pumped and the grass is cut. Some things never change!
My family happens to hold one of two independently owned race tracks at which NASCAR’s Nextel Cup series races. We’re so very proud of that, and it’s due to my grandparents’s outlook and drive.
We feel that NASCAR’s growth spurt isn’t over yet. It has done a tremendous job of introducing the sport of stock-car racing to our neighbors to the north and south of us. The addition of Juan Pablo Montoya will garner even more attention and fans, as will Toyota’s entry into the Cup ranks. Our hope is that Pocono Raceway will be a continued partner to NASCAR and a favorite of drivers and fans in years to come.
Doc Joe, as he is known to all in motorsports, has taught me about perseverance, what it is to have a vision, humility, generosity (both of himself and of material goods) and loyalty. He is one special man in my book.
Doc Rose is the kindest person I know. She is dedicated to whatever she undertakes, she is also generous with her time and spirit and she has the patience of Job. And, she is a lady in the truest sense of the word.
These two people have shaped our family, and if there are any faults, they are not a fault of theirs.
Both Pocono and South Boston will celebrate their 50th anniversaries this year. Add 50 to 1957 and my grandparents’s involvement is also 50 years young. Quite a year for my family; my aunts and uncles, my siblings and my cousins all hope to carry on my grandparents’s legacy and reputation for another 50.