by John Manzi, publicity director, Monticello Raceway

Monticello, NY — Father’s Day is always on a Sunday and Monticello Raceway is dark on Sundays. But the raceway doesn’t want to be left behind in honoring dads. So in order to do so the Mighty M will have a special race — the Junior Free For All — to honor fathers, especially the ones whose sons have become harness drivers and who carry their dad’s name with a Jr. added at the end.

The second edition of the Junior Free For All is slated for Monday (June 17), the day after Father’s Day.

Already consenting to participate are Monticello’s leading drivers, Bruce Aldrich, Jr. and Jimmy Marohn, Jr., who are currently one-two on the local leaderboard.

Also ready to honor their dads by driving in the event are 17-time Mighty M driving champ Billy Parker, Jr., Jimmy Taggart, Jr. and Greg Decker, Jr., who won the inaugural event last year.

In an effort to get more participants in the Junior Free For All, the raceway’s director of racing, Eric Warner, has been searching for more juniors and recently has heard from two others who would like to drive in the competition.

Warner was referring to Jimmy Doherty, Jr., son of Hall of Famer Jim Doherty, and Joe Ricco, Jr.

During the late 1970s and early 1980s Ricco was among the Mighty M’s leading drivers and during the 1978 campaign Ricco’s 131 driving victories lead all others in the dash-win department.

Ricco, who has been a business professional in recent years, is also the beloved step-dad of world class driver George Brennan, with whom he is still very close.

“We’ve got a good start but we still need one more junior in order to fill the field,” Warner noted.

Any driver who fits the criteria and is interested in participating in this year’s Junior Free For All is urged to contact Warner in the race office by calling 845.794.4100, ext. 557. Or they can call the track’s publicity office at ext. 455.