Chance Bensmiller – Track Record Run On Night 2 At Century Downs Racetrack and Casino
Photo By Shellie Scott
| Rank | Driver | Playoff Total |
| 1 | Layne MacGillivray | 23 |
| 2 | Chanse Vigen | 17 |
| 3 | Kris Molle | 16 |
| 4 | Ross Knight | 15 |
| 5/6 | Kurt Bensmiller | 13 |
| 5/6 | Evan Salmond | 13 |
| 7/8/9 | Jason Glass | 12 |
| 7/8/9 | Wade Salmond | 12 |
| 7/8/9 | Chad Fike | 12 |
| 10 | Jamie Laboucane | 9 |
| 11/12 | Rae Croteau Jr. | 4 |
| 11/12 | Obrey Motowylo | 4 |
Night two of the Century Downs World Chuckwagon Finals was run under a few clouds and very good racetrack conditions that saw a second track record established in as many nights. Some outstanding races were once again witnessed by a packed grandstand, and when the sun set on Century Downs Racetrack and Casino, Layne MacGillivray is the man rising to the top.
A day money run on opening night combined with a third place run tonight has given MacGillivray a commanding lead in the Century Downs “Winners’ Zone” Championship Playoff round with 23 playoff points after two runs. That puts him 6 points ahead of Chanse Vigen who sits alone in second place. Defending “Winners’ Zone” Champion Kris Molle is third with Ross Knight fourth, with Kurt Bensmiller and Evan Salmond splitting fifth and sixth. The 4 drivers in the playoff points standings after Saturday night will compete in the Century Downs “Winners’ Zone” Championship Dash where they will be racing for $75,000.00 cash and the prestige of being recognized as the inaugural Century Downs “Winners’ Zone” Champion.
On the night, Chance Bensmiller now has the track record at Century Downs after he piloted his Rocky Mountain Aircraft outfit to the top time after posting a 1:21.48 from barrel 4 in heat number 5. That was 8 one-hundredths of a second faster than Kris Molle, followed closely by Layne MacGillivray in third, while Chad Fike and Wade Salmond placed fourth and fifth on the night respectively.
For the 36 drivers who are racing for the Century Downs Racetrack and Casino Aggregate Championship, Layne MacGillivray leads the overall aggregate standings with a two-run total of 2:43.55. That puts him just 21 one-hundredths of a second faster than Chance Bensmiller, with Chanse Vigen, Ross Knight and Evan Salmond in close pursuit. The driver posting the best 4-day aggregate time after Saturday’s run will be declared the champion of the Century Downs Racetrack and Casino race meet.
In the race for the World Chuckwagon Championship, Chanse Vigen has now taken a slim 14 point lead over Jamie Laboucane, with Evan Salmond and Jason Glass still mathematically in the mix. The World Champion Chuckwagon Driver will be declared on Saturday night as the driver who accumulated the most number of points over the course of the season.
In the season long Elite Team Series, five teams representing five show locations – Grande Prairie, Ponoka, Strathmore, Rocky Mountain House and Century Downs – are competing for points at these respective locations only in an attempt to win the Elite Team Series Championship. Overall, Team Strathmore Stampede, consisting of Chad Fike, Kris Molle, Jason Glass and Chance Bensmiller are leading the way with 2,409.5 points. That puts them 43 points ahead of Team Century Downs represented by Dustin Gorst, Layne MacGillivray, Jordie Fike and Chanse Vigen. The Elite Team series will conclude this week at the Century Downs World Chuckwagon Finals.
Night 3 of the Century Downs World Chuckwagon Finals can be heard live on Friday night, August 25, 2023 on Real Country 910am starting at 8:30pm Eastern, 7:30pm Central and 6:30pm Mountain Time. In addition, race fans can watch the races live on the watch.wpca.comstreaming platform.
Billy Melville
