Mike Forte will handle the favorite in Monticello Raceway’s
Godfather Pace on Tuesday afternoon, October 29, but in order to have a repeat
victory in the event he’ll have to win with Kevin’s Apple from the eight hole.
The Godfather Pace, for drivers of Italian ancestry,
will be the seventh leg of the Mighty M’s Heritage Drivers Series.
Last year Forte guided Velvety Smooth to an event
record time of 1:58.2. This year he pins his hopes on the Dave Barrett-trained
pacer who owns a seasonal mark of 1:58.2.
Besides having to start on the far outside Forte and Kevin’s
Apple can expect trouble from Southwind Maize and driver Rock Vinci from
the pole position. A three- time winner this year with a seasonal mark of
1:56.1,Southwind Maize rallied from seventh to be to be second in his previous
start. Last year Vinci finished second to Forte in the Godfather
Pace and will be looking to payback.
Also expected to not go quietly is Johnny Desimone, Jr. with
Tidewater Moses. A consistent sort Tidewater Moses has a win and a second in
his last three outings.
“It looks like a very competitive race with driving strategy
and racing luck determining the winner, “ noted Eric Warner, the track’s
director of racing.
Other drivers in this year’s Godfather Pace include; Sam
Sbarra, John Plutino, Matt Zuccarello, Bob Pettito, and Dave Russo.
The winning driver of this event will join the winners of
the other preliminary legs in the ethnic series finale. Those who have
already earned a berth in the All America Cup include; Dennis Watson (
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Pace), Jimmy Marohn, Jr. (St Paddy Pace); Bobby
Krivelin ( Passover Pace), Veronica Merton (The Lady Godiva), and
Kyle—his mother was English-- DiBenidetto (Mayflower Mile).
The Godfather Pace will be the fifth race on the Tuesday
Oct. 29th card. A final ethnic driver series contest, the Maple Leaf
Mile for drivers of Canadian heritage, is slated for mid-November
