By Laurence Heinen
Cruise Bensmiller demonstrated just how good his driving skills are by finishing 11th in the World Professional Chuckwagon Association standings last season.
For his efforts, he was rewarded by being named one of the two Chuckwagon 101 demonstration drivers at the 2025 Rangeland Derby presented by Play Alberta.
“This is a dream come true to me,” said the 22-year-old reinsman from Dewberry, Alta., who holds bragging rights that he’s the sport’s first fifth-generation driver.
After his great-great grandfather Wesley Smith took up driving chuckwagons in the 1940s, Bensmiller’s great grandpas Allen Smith and Allan Bensmiller followed suit and both were finalists in Calgary at the Stampede.
His grandpa Buddy Bensmiller won it all in Calgary in both 1979 and 1989, while his uncles Kurt, Chance and David Bensmiller all took up the sport as well. Between 2014 and 2018, his uncle Kurt won four Rangeland Derby titles in five years.
“They’re all champions,” said the youngest Bensmiller in regards to his talented family members – which include his mom Lisa Bensmiller and step-father Vern Nolin – who have paved the way in the sport before him.
Throughout the Stampede, Bensmiller has been splitting duties as the demonstration driver prior to the start of the nine heats of racing with Colby Stanley from the Canadian Professional Chuckwagon Association. Each of the drivers work the gig on alternate nights.
“The demonstration’s super important,” said Bensmiller during a behind-the-barns tour for the media in Calgary on Tuesday morning. “There’s lots of people that haven’t seen wagons before, so (it’s good) for them to kind of just focus on one wagon and see what one wagon does before the craziness of all three wagons.”
With a pair of outriders helping him out, Bensmiller guides his horses to the starting line and then around the two barrels in a figure-eight pattern before racing around the track, all while track announcer Les McIntyre explains the action to fans in addition to describing the various penalties that could occur.
“I kind of black out,” said Bensmiller when asked if he can hear McIntyre calling his race. “I try to focus on the horses as much as I can, but yeah, I do listen to Les. And yeah, Les has been doing this a long time and for him to say my name at a venue like this is just an amazing feeling.”
Although he’s not racing against other drivers in Calgary like he’s been doing during his fourth season running on the WPCA Pro Tour, Bensmiller has been enjoying the experience nonetheless.
“It’s super exciting to be here and show my horses off to the public,” he said. “Just to drive the horses, get the feel for the big grandstand – obviously it’s a lot of people – it’s hard to describe that feeling when there’s all those people and all the pressure on you.”
While he hasn’t yet experienced the thrill of competing against other drivers in front of fans in Calgary at GMC Stadium, four of his horses were recruited to be part of his uncle Chance’s Ellis Don outfit last Sunday.
“Actually this entire outfit went for Uncle Chance on Day 3 and he was ninth on the day,” said Bensmiller, while pointing behind him to the stalls of left leader Patrol, right leader Warrior, left wheeler Grand and right wheeler Papa. “It was really cool for me to see my horses go out there and actually compete and do quite well.”
Combined with how his horses performed for his uncle and how comfortable he has felt racing in the demonstration heats in front of large crowds, Bensmiller his confidence that he can soon compete on the big stage in Calgary.
“Absolutely, that’s the goal,” he said. “Hopefully this is the first step to actually competing here.
“Just even the experience – every time that I drive a wagon, I take that opportunity just to get that much sharper or a little bit better each time. I think it’s good for the horses as well to see that big crowd – it’s super loud.”
Following the conclusion of the Stampede, Bensmiller will switch his focus to preparing for the remainder of the WPCA Pro Tour season that starts up again with the Battle of the Foothills in High River from July 24-27.
“I’m hoping just to be clean and consistent,” said Bensmiller, who won both the Herman Flad Memorial Award (symbolic of the WPCA’s Most Improved Driver) and the Clean Driver Award in 2024. “This is only my fourth year, so I’m still learning the ropes. This is a really competitive sport. I’m racing against guys that are double, triple my age, so I’m just trying to do my best.”
