In early January Monticello Raceway lost a few race cards
due to inclement weather and non-racing dates were added to the winter
schedule.
One non-race date that was added is Monday, February 17 and
as usual it will be an afternoon card with a 12:25pm post time. The featured
race on that Presidents Day afternoon program will be the “Not-Quite”
Presidential Pace, a race for drivers whose names are the same as any of the
former United States Presidents.
The drivers already confirmed include brothers Cedric and
Dennis “George” Washington, Howard “Zachary” Taylor, Don “Herbert” Hoover,
Scott “Zachary” Taylor, Allan “Lyndon” Johnson and George “James K.” Polk, Jr.
It won’t happen but it would be great if Ron “Franklin”
Pierce could participate but he’s got bigger fish to fry.
“There are still many drivers with presidential names out
there and if we could get just one more we’ll have full-field,” noted Eric
Warner, the track’s director of racing.
If Warner comes up empty in his quest for that final
“presidential named” driver, Peter Gerry said he’d compete in the contest if
needed.
Although not a U.S President ,Gerry’s four or five
generations- removed grandfather, Elbridge Thomas Gerry was selected as the
fifth Vice President of the United States, serving under James Madison, from
March 4,1813 until his death. He was the first Vice President not to run
for President of the United States, although that was due to his death rather
than a political decision. However, Elbridge T. Gerry is known best for being
the namesake of gerrymandering, a process which electoral districts are drawn
to aid the party in power.
Still Warner will keep searching for another driver with a
presidential name. Anyone fitting that criterion and interested in
driving in the “Not-Quite” Presidential Pace is urged to call Warner in the
race office at 845.794.4100ext.557; Or they can contact the tracks publicity
department at ext. 455.
