WWE's John Cena to start Daytona 500

   WWE Superstar John Cena will wave the green flag as honorary starter of the 54^th annual Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 26 at Daytona International Speedway. Cena was invited to participate in this year’s race by 2011 title runner-up Carl Edwards during the broadcast of Monday night's "Raw" show on USA Network.

   During the scene, Edwards got out of his official No. 99 Fastenal Ford and told Cena, “NASCAR asked me to come to Monday Night Raw and personally invite you to drop the green flag and officially start the Daytona 500 on February 26.” An appreciative John Cena enthusiastically accepted with an emphatic “Yes!” 

   "John Cena is the greatest Superstar in WWE today,” Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III said. “We look forward to seeing him on the flag stand waving the green flag to start ‘The Great American Race’ and kick off the new NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.”

   Cena, who made his WWE debut in 2002, is a 10-time world champion. He can be seen each week on the hit cable series Monday Night Raw on USA Network. The avid NASCAR fan will headline WrestleMania against The Rock at Sun Life Stadium in Miami on Sunday, April 1, 2012.  

   Cena, like many NASCAR drivers, has a long standing relationship with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He is on pace to grant his 300^th wish, making him the first celebrity wish granter ever to reach that goal. The Make-A-Wish Foundation recently dedicated a room to WWE at the foundation’s headquarters in Phoenix in honor of Cena’s dedication to children with life-threatening medical conditions.

NASCAR drivers looking for votes

   Carl Edwards and Trevor Bayne, race winners in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, could soon add “Dance Machine” and “Gnarliest Newb” to their respective resumes.

   Edwards and Bayne have been nominated as part of Cartoon Network’s second annual Hall of Game Awards, which air Monday, Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. ET. Five-time Cup Series champion and 2011 “Dance Machine” nominee Jimmie Johnson will also present “The World’s Fastest Award” with a special cameo appearance.

   The show, hosted by former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal, is a high-energy, off-the-wall, multi-platform experience that lets viewers vote and honor their favorite sports stars and sports moments of the year.

   Edwards and Bayne have been nominated to compete in the “Dance Machine” and “Gnarliest Newb” categories. Edwards’ signature victory celebration, a backflip from his car, catapulted him to be a finalist in the “Dance Machine” category. Bayne’s improbable Daytona 500 victory as a 20-year-old in only his second Cup start propelled him to compete in what is essentially the “Rookie of the Year” category in this year’s awards.

   Fans can vote for Edwards and Bayne on www.hallofgame.com now through Friday, Feb. 17. 

NASCAR returns to Charlotte radio

   It was touch-and-go last year for many Charlotte-area terrestrial radio listeners trying to catch NASCAR racing on a regular basis.

   At the start of last season, neither MRN nor PRN - which combine to broadcast all the NASCAR events of the year were able to secure a long-term commitment from a local station to carry all their events.

   MRN, however, has struck a deal with WZGV-AM/ESPN 730 to carry all of their broadcasts this season in the Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck series. The first event broadcast in the new deal will be the Feb. 18 Budweiser Shootout from Daytona International Speedway.

   "We’ve been looking for a strong partner in this market and could not be happier to launch our 43rd year of broadcasting with this announcement," said MRN President and Executive Producer David Hyatt.

   "This gives us a strong voice in what is widely recognized as the heart of American stock car racing and we’re certain the partnership will reverberate throughout the region as the new season begins."

   WZGV's 10,000-watt signal – licensed to Cramerton, N.C. – saturates the metro Charlotte market. WZGV-AM/ESPN 730 is now one of 32 MRN affiliates in the Carolinas.

   ESPN 730 will also broadcast all of PRN's Nationwide Series races this season, which means the station will broadcast the complete Nationwide and Truck series schedule in the Charlotte area.

   PRN's Sprint Cup races will once again be broadcast on WRFX 99.7 FM in the Charlotte area - a deal that came together in March of last season.

Kyle Busch already a winner in 2012

   The 2012 CRA Super Series SpeedFest 200 may have started at a new venue, but for Kyle Busch and his No. 51 KBM Camry the race ended in a familiar location - Victory Lane. Busch, who won back-to-back SpeedFests in 2009 and 2010 when the event was held at Lanier National Speedway in Braselton, Ga., led 86 of the final 100 laps of Sunday's race at Watermelon Capital Speedway in Cordele, Ga. en route to his third career SpeedFest title.

   "It feels good to be the SpeedFest 2012 winner and to get my first win as a member of the Monster Energy family of athletes," said Busch. "It was an awesome weekend -- the turnout in the grandstands was great and the car count was phenomenal.

   "Everyone with the CRA Super Series does such a great job and I love competing in their events. I can't say enough about Chris Gabehart and all the guys that work on this KBM Camry -- they build fast cars that are a lot of fun to drive."

   Bubba Pollard finished second, followed by NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular David Ragan in third. Casey Smith and T.J. Reaid rounded out the top-five finishers. The race featured 13 cautions for 86 laps. Seven of the 30 cars were unable to finish the race.

Living Legends honored at Daytona

   The Living Legends of Auto Racing will be hosting their 20th Annual Awards Banquet on Wednesday evening, February 22, 2012 in the Grand Ballroom at The Shores Resort and Spa, 2637 S. Atlantic Avenue, Daytona Beach Shores, Florida.

   This year's award recipients are; Junior Johnson, Richard Childress, Ken Ragan, Buzzie Reutimann, Clare B. Lang (Sirius XM NASCAR Radio), Joe Mihalic, Eddie MacDonald Sr. and Racing's North Turn Beach Bar and Grill.

   The event will begin at 6 p.m. with a cocktail hour (cash bar). Dinner will be served at 7 p.m. Tickets for the event are $45. Reservations are required. For information or to purchase tickets please call Joan at (386) 255-7428.

 

 

Pocono Raceway founder dies

   Dr. Joseph Mattioli, Pocono Raceway Founder and Chairman of the Board, passed away today at the Lehigh Valley Hospital Center, surrounded by his loving family, following a lengthy illness. He was 86.

   “Doc” as he was known to friends and associates, was one of the most respected and admired men in automobile racing. He founded Pocono Raceway in the early 1960’s and has been at the helm of Pocono ever since. Under his leadership, the track grew in stature and has hosted 68 very successful NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Events. His passion and drive helped Pocono Raceway succeed when other tracks fell by the wayside. Pocono Raceway is the only remaining family owned and run track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule. He was always concerned that race fans and race car drivers and their families were treated with the upmost respect and constantly upgraded procedures and Raceway facilities to meet that goal.

   He kept his fingers on the pulse of stock car racing and read everything printed concerning the sport. He was in the office daily, until last fall, and oversaw all aspects of the Pocono Raceway operations. At age 83, Dr. Mattioli spearheaded an ambitious solar energy project. He built a three megawatt photovoltaic solar energy system on 25 acres at Pocono Raceway. It is the world’s largest solar-powered sports facility, making Pocono Raceway a leader in the renewable energy and environmental fields.

    Dr. Mattioli was also well respected in the community. In 2009, he received the Philanthropic Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the Association of Fundraising Professionals for his generous and continuous contributions to local civic organizations, hospitals, schools and charities. He served on the board of directors of numerous organizations and was dedicated to improving the quality of life in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

    He served in the Pacific during World War Two as a Navy medic. Using the G.I. bill, he enrolled in the dentistry program at Temple University (where he met his soon to be wife, Rose.) Upon graduation, he developed his dental practice into a very lucrative business by working 12 to 14 hour days, six and sometimes seven days a week. He then began investing in and developing properties in Philadelphia and Northeastern Pennsylvania where he became involved in the start up of Pocono Raceway.

   Dr. Mattioli is survived by his wife of 63 years, Dr. Rose, daughters Louie and Michele and son Joseph Mattioli III, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

   Service Arrangements for Dr. Joseph Mattioli are incomplete at this time.

Six NASCAR drivers make Power 100

   The 2012 Power 100 ranking of the most powerful professional athletes in the U.S was released Wednesday night by Bloomberg/Businessweek, revealing six NASCAR drivers in the top 100. 

   Bloomberg Businessweek teamed up CSE, a leading integrated marketing agency that created the Power 100 list for the third consecutive year using proprietary methodology; Rick Horrow, host of Bloomberg TV "Sportfolio," and CEO of Horrow Sports Ventures and the Nielsen/E-Poll N-Score.

   The NASCAR drivers who made the poll:

   No. 22 Dale Earnhardt Jr.

   No. 29 Jeff Gordon

   No. 37 Jimmie Johnson

   No. 60 Tony Stewart

   No. 62 Carl Edwards

   No. 92 Kevin Harvick

   CSE’s Analytics team, lead by VP, Analytics, David Newman, evaluated more than 3,000 athletes across a variety of sports, with 50 percent based on"off-field" measurements and 50 percent on "on-field" performance. CSE’s proprietary analytics utilizes a range of industry statistics, including data from E-Poll.

   The New Orleans Saints’ Drew Brees (No. 1), Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers (No. 2) and New England Patriots’ Tom Brady (No. 3) topped the poll.

   For more information on the poll, go here.