Fox Sports Senior VP/Communications Vince Wladika denied a report that the network is in talks with a group led by Joe Mattioli III, the son of Pocono Raceway owner Dr. Joe Mattioli, about a new stock car series to be televised on Fox. Wladika told THE DAILY that Fox did meet once with the Mattioli-led group and was presented with a proposal which included Wednesday night primetime coverage. But Wladika said the network is “very pleased” with its primetime line-up, which includes “Beverly Hills 90210” and “Party of Five.” Wladika: “We’ve always been very interested in auto racing and NASCAR. Someone pitched us an idea — we get ideas pitched to us all the time. But we categorically deny the report and we are not at all involved.”(5-7-98)
