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Among those in the sellout crowd at Pocono Raceway earlier this month for the Great American Getaway 400 was Doris Chizmar, owner of Chizmar’s Barber Styling and Designer Wigs in St. Clair.
Chizmar wouldn’t call herself a hardcore NASCAR fan; she will tune into races throughout the year, like most casual fans, sticking around for a few laps and periodically checking in on the race, but she doesn’t watch every race.
“I watch it, and I see it on TV. I might watch it for half an hour or so, but I don’t always watch every race,” she said. “But there are some that I am interested in, like the Daytona and different ones like that. So I do watch them a little bit when they are televised.”
Despite leaning more on the casual side of NASCAR viewership, it has become an annual trip for Chizmar and her brother, a pastor in the Poconos, to Pocono Raceway.
Chizmar gets to have a unique experience every time she makes the trip to the track, affectionately known as “The Tricky Triangle”.
For the past 15 years, Chizmar has attended the race as a guest of Pocono Raceway owner Looie Mattioli.
Mattioli is the current Chairman of the Board at Pocono Raceway, and the daughter of Pocono founder Joseph “Doc” Mattioli, who stepped away from the track in 2011, a year and a half before his death in January of 2012.
Thanks to the Mattioli family and their managing company, Mattco Inc., Pocono Raceway remains one of the few independently owned racetracks on the NASCAR circuit.
The Chizmar family and Mattioli family have struck up a friendship over the last several decades, thanks to her brother serving as the Mattiolis’ pastor.
“We are friends with Looie Mattioli,” Chizmar said. “So every year she invites my brother, who is her pastor, and we both go together to see the race.”
Over the years, Chizmar has gotten a first-hand view of Mattioli’s work on race weekend.
“Looie is amazing,” she continued. “She is an amazing, hardworking lady. And all of them are. God bless them for all the work they do, because they work so hard to make the day successful for everyone.”
Under Mattioli’s ownership, Pocono has long been known as a family-friendly track that caters to the family experience, especially for children, often hosting carnivals outside the track on race weekends. The family atmosphere of race weekends is something that often stands out to Chizmar when she attends.
“They have a three-day race schedule, and on the first day, they do have a carnival for the children,” she explained. “So that’s very nice because they really help the community a lot. They bring business to the area. It’s really a nice time.”
The fun and entertainment continue throughout the weekend and in the grandstands.
“They have a lot of vendors and all kinds of food,” she continued. “They sell big turkey legs. They sell sausage sandwiches. They have all kinds of candy for the children. They have all kinds of vendors for shirts and for memorabilia. They have a place for different types of sodas for the kids. It’s very, very nice. They have a very large selection of vendors. It’s a really big festival.”
All in all, Chizmar enjoys the race as much as she loves seeing the enjoyment of those around her.
“It’s a day of enjoyment and excitement,” Chizmar said. “I really love it. It’s really great. It’s a nice thing for families and for children. They come from all over, which is really, really nice… The bleachers are just filled and filled with people, and there are a lot of campers who come from all over. So it’s an enjoyment for everyone.”
Ultimately, Chizmar’s annual trip to Pocono Raceway is something she always looks forward to.
“They make you feel at home,” she said. “The Tricky Triangle is a pure delight.”
Like any race fan, she also has her favorite part of the race. While some may love the roar of the cars coming down the front stretch on the first lap, or the exhilarating final laps, Chizmar loves to watch pit stops.
“I enjoy when the race cars come in to get their tires, because the men change the tires so fast,” she said. “It’s amazing.”
“It would be great if car tires could be done that fast, like the race car tires,” she joked.
Continue reading...
Chizmar wouldn’t call herself a hardcore NASCAR fan; she will tune into races throughout the year, like most casual fans, sticking around for a few laps and periodically checking in on the race, but she doesn’t watch every race.
“I watch it, and I see it on TV. I might watch it for half an hour or so, but I don’t always watch every race,” she said. “But there are some that I am interested in, like the Daytona and different ones like that. So I do watch them a little bit when they are televised.”
Despite leaning more on the casual side of NASCAR viewership, it has become an annual trip for Chizmar and her brother, a pastor in the Poconos, to Pocono Raceway.
Chizmar gets to have a unique experience every time she makes the trip to the track, affectionately known as “The Tricky Triangle”.
For the past 15 years, Chizmar has attended the race as a guest of Pocono Raceway owner Looie Mattioli.
Mattioli is the current Chairman of the Board at Pocono Raceway, and the daughter of Pocono founder Joseph “Doc” Mattioli, who stepped away from the track in 2011, a year and a half before his death in January of 2012.
Thanks to the Mattioli family and their managing company, Mattco Inc., Pocono Raceway remains one of the few independently owned racetracks on the NASCAR circuit.
The Chizmar family and Mattioli family have struck up a friendship over the last several decades, thanks to her brother serving as the Mattiolis’ pastor.
“We are friends with Looie Mattioli,” Chizmar said. “So every year she invites my brother, who is her pastor, and we both go together to see the race.”
Over the years, Chizmar has gotten a first-hand view of Mattioli’s work on race weekend.
“Looie is amazing,” she continued. “She is an amazing, hardworking lady. And all of them are. God bless them for all the work they do, because they work so hard to make the day successful for everyone.”
Under Mattioli’s ownership, Pocono has long been known as a family-friendly track that caters to the family experience, especially for children, often hosting carnivals outside the track on race weekends. The family atmosphere of race weekends is something that often stands out to Chizmar when she attends.
“They have a three-day race schedule, and on the first day, they do have a carnival for the children,” she explained. “So that’s very nice because they really help the community a lot. They bring business to the area. It’s really a nice time.”
The fun and entertainment continue throughout the weekend and in the grandstands.
“They have a lot of vendors and all kinds of food,” she continued. “They sell big turkey legs. They sell sausage sandwiches. They have all kinds of candy for the children. They have all kinds of vendors for shirts and for memorabilia. They have a place for different types of sodas for the kids. It’s very, very nice. They have a very large selection of vendors. It’s a really big festival.”
All in all, Chizmar enjoys the race as much as she loves seeing the enjoyment of those around her.
“It’s a day of enjoyment and excitement,” Chizmar said. “I really love it. It’s really great. It’s a nice thing for families and for children. They come from all over, which is really, really nice… The bleachers are just filled and filled with people, and there are a lot of campers who come from all over. So it’s an enjoyment for everyone.”
Ultimately, Chizmar’s annual trip to Pocono Raceway is something she always looks forward to.
“They make you feel at home,” she said. “The Tricky Triangle is a pure delight.”
Like any race fan, she also has her favorite part of the race. While some may love the roar of the cars coming down the front stretch on the first lap, or the exhilarating final laps, Chizmar loves to watch pit stops.
“I enjoy when the race cars come in to get their tires, because the men change the tires so fast,” she said. “It’s amazing.”
“It would be great if car tires could be done that fast, like the race car tires,” she joked.
Continue reading...
