Racing fans at Monticello will get an early Christmas present Thursday as two of this season’s top dash-winning drivers go head-to-head in the “Drive-Off.”
Ronnie Wrenn, Jr., tops in North America with 654 wins, takes on Monticello’s own Bruce Aldrich, Jr., currently ranked third with 587 victories.
Unlike most driving competitions in which the competitors randomly get their assignments, Wrenn and Aldrich will choose their mounts.
“I like it just because it gives us both an equal opportunity to pick who we drive,” said Wrenn.
As the top driver at Ohio’s Northfield Park, Wrenn has never been to Monticello, but has been studying to select good horses.
“I know [trainers Robert] Lounsbury and Daniel Gill both do very well and I know there’s a lot of small trainers that don’t have a lot of horses that also do well. … I look for post position and then the horse that looks like he’s one of the best in the class,” said Wrenn.
Four-time Monticello driving champ, Aldrich appears to have a home-track advantage, but that may not be as big a factor as you might think.
“It is my home track and I do know the horses better, but as it turns out it was really difficult to make the picks,” Aldrich said. “In a lot of cases, I took the horses that I’d been driving. I’m not so sure that I have the better horses over Ronnie. It ought to be interesting. We ought to have some fun doing it and I hope he don’t win them all and I don’t win any.”
Winning the competition would definitely further Aldrich’s goals for the year.
“My goal is to get to 600 wins for the year and I’m only 13 wins away with three weeks left and if I could end up third in North America, that would be a bonus. And I’m going to regain my driving title at Monticello,” Aldrich said.