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The son of longtime horsepeople Mark and Melissa Beckwith won 608 races, which was good for third in the national standings behind Aaron Merriman and Jason Bartlett.His money-earnings were a career-high $6,271,414, which was good for 18th in North America.You’d think Beckwith would have kept things pretty much the same after a monster year like that, but that’s exactly what he did not do.Every winter, with a small handful of exceptions, the “A-list” drivers take some time off from the Meadowlands after six months of Grand Circuit grind, which gives some young pilots a chance to be seen where the light is brightest, at the track located just off the New Jersey Turnpike’s Exit 16W.It was an opportunity that Beckwith, now 22, took full advantage of, as he not only became the leading driver at the mile oval at the Winter-Spring-Championship meeting, which concluded Saturday (Aug. 2), Hambletonian Day, but became the youngest ever to lead the Big M colony, checking in two years younger than John Campbell, who was 24 when he wore the belt in 1979.Beckwith’s 92 wins were far more than runner-up David Miller’s total of 68.“To win the driver title at the Meadowlands is truly an honor,” said Beckwith. “On a nightly basis, I get to race with guys who, in my mind, are Hall of Fame drivers.
