by John Manzi, publicity director, Monticello Raceway
Monticello, NY — Each year since 2001 Monticello Raceway has featured a race named for the great civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. That race has been a way to pay tribute to Dr. King and it gave the raceway a chance to showcase the talents of African-American drivers.
On Tuesday (Jan. 17) in the first of the raceway’s 2012 Heritage Drivers Series, eight drivers will take a perch behind a spirited pacer and they will go to post in race number six on the 13-race card that afternoon.
Four of the competitors are former Dr. King Pace winners and of that number Cedric Washington has been a three-time winner after having won last year’s contest with Blissful Doll. Other winners who’ll drive on Tuesday include Cedric’s dad, General “Bubba” Washington, Jr., Dennis Watson and George Polk, Jr.
Of the remaining four, three are local drivers and they include Bobby “Boonie” Williams, Jonathan Oney and JD Lewis. George Newell, Jr. will round out the field of drivers set for this season’s Dr. King Pace.
“I wish I could have gotten a horse for all those who requested a chance to drive in this year’s Dr. King Pace but that would have been an extremely tall order,” noted Eric Warner, the track’s director of racing. “As it stands, the local horsemen have been gracious to allow us to use their horses for the eight who have been lucky enough to draw a mount.”
As is always the case in all of Monticello Raceway’s Heritage Drivers Series races, both driving assignments and post positions were drawn by lot.