Chanse Vigen – Track Record Run On Night 2 In Wainwright
Photo By Shellie Scott
It was a perfect evening for chuckwagon racing on Friday night in Wainwright as Day 2 of the Wainwright Stampede was contested under warm 22°C temperatures and ideal racetrack conditions. A capacity crowd added to the atmosphere, and when the final times were posted, it was Chanse Vigen who captured the Kirk’s Trail Tire Wheels on Fire Fast Time of the Night after setting a new WPCA track record of 1:01.98.
Driving from barrel number two in the twelfth heat, Vigen’s Sundown Oilfield Services Ltd. outfit posted the fastest run of the night, finishing exactly three-tenths of a second ahead of Rae Croteau Jr. Jamie Laboucane, who would have broken the track record himself if not for a late outrider penalty, still finished third on the night, while Kris Molle and Cody Ridsdale rounded out the top five. Vigen eclipsed the previous track record of 1:02.15, set by Richard Cosgrave in 1980, by 17 one-hundredths of a second.
With back-to-back second-place finishes, Rae Croteau Jr. leads the overall aggregate standings with a two-run total of 2:05.89. Jamie Laboucane sits in second, just under one-half second behind Croteau, while last week’s Medicine Hat Stampede champion Chanse Vigen holds down third. Opening-night winner Logan Gorst is 1.15 seconds behind Vigen in the battle for the final Championship Final berth, with Jason Glass rounding out the top five after two runs.
The top three drivers in the aggregate standings following Saturday night’s performance will advance to Sunday’s Championship Final Heat, where the winner will be crowned the 2026 Wainwright Stampede Champion.
Day 3 of the Wainwright Stampede can be heard live on Saturday, June 20, 2026, on WPCA Radio on 96.5 The Ranch beginning at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, 6:00 p.m. Central, and 5:00 p.m. Mountain. Fans can also listen through the WPCA website, iHeartRadio, and Radioplayer Canada, while live video coverage will be available via the WPCA livestream at watch.wpca.com.
Billy Melville
