Rae Croteau Jr. – Fast Man On Saturday Night In Wainwright
Photo By Shellie Scott
It was a windy evening of racing on Night 3 of the Wainwright Stampede. The races were contested under cloudy skies with temperatures hovering around 15°C. Track conditions remained very good, and with a berth in Sunday’s Championship Final Heat on the line, the competition was fierce. When the final heat was complete, Rae Croteau Jr., Chanse Vigen, and Jamie Laboucane had secured the three coveted spots in the 2026 Wainwright Stampede Championship Final.
Rae Croteau Jr. and his Bar L5 Ranch Ltd. outfit maintained the aggregate lead they established on Friday night, qualifying first overall with a three-day aggregate time of 3:09.01. New track record holder Chanse Vigen moved into second overall, 1.40 seconds behind Croteau, while Jamie Laboucane held onto the third and final Championship Final berth. For the second consecutive week, Jason Glass narrowly missed advancing to the Championship Final, finishing fourth overall, just 63 one-hundredths of a second behind Laboucane. Logan Gorst rounded out the top five in the aggregate standings.
The night’s fastest run belonged to Rae Croteau Jr., who stopped the clock in 1:03.12. Driving from barrel number three in the eleventh heat, Croteau claimed the Kirk’s Trail Tire Wheels on Fire Fast Time of the Night by nearly one-half second over Jason Glass. Chanse Vigen posted the third-fastest run, while Evan Salmond and Logan Gorst completed the top five.
The Championship Finals of the Wainwright Stampede can be heard live on Sunday, June 21, 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
