Track broadcast
center also to bear name of late Hall of Fame announcer
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ (April 25, 2017) – The US Pacing
Championship, long one of the signature events on Hambletonian Day, will be
renamed The Sam McKee Memorial beginning this August in honor of the track’s
Hall of Fame announcer and broadcaster who passed away March 8 at the age of 54.
The Meadowlands will also attach McKee’s name to its
broadcast center that McKee designed when the new grandstand opened in 2013. It
will now be called The Sam McKee SNY Broadcast Center. The official dedication
is scheduled for August 4, the night before the Hambletonian.
“Sam was a true professional at his job as evidenced by his
Hall of Fame status, but his larger than life smile, and gracious attitude is
what made him stand tall among his peers,” said Jason Settlemoir, Meadowlands
GM/COO. “Honoring Sam’s legacy with one of our major races only seems fitting
and honoring him with the dedication of the SNY Broadcast Center that he worked
very hard to put together in the new building only seems fitting as well.”
“Sam would never believed himself to be worthy of this, but
we know that he would be honored,” said Sam’s wife, Chris McKee. “Hambletonian
Day was always so important to him. It’s always a special day and he worked
tirelessly along with the rest of the staff to prepare for it and make sure
things went smoothly. We’re so proud of Sam and all of his
accomplishments and are once again humbled by this memorial race. We’re
grateful to have been at the Meadowlands for last year’s Hambo where we got to
see Sam interview one of his favorite NASCAR drivers. While it will never be
the same, we look forward to being there on Hambo Day to support the sport that
he loved so dearly and to keep his memory alive.”
This year’s $225,000 Sam McKee Memorial is August 5 as part
of the super stakes Hambletonian Day program. The US Pacing Championship was
first held in 1982 and has been won by such legends as Cam Fella, Matt’s
Scooter, and Artsplace and in more recent years, Won The West, Sweet Lou, and
last year in an upset by Shamballa over Horses of the Year Wiggle It Jiggleit
and Always B Miki.
