Chanse Vigen – Back On Top After Night 5 In Calgary
Photo By Shellie Scott
As we hit the mid point of the 2023 Cowboys Rangeland Derby, day 5 was one of the most exciting days of racing at the Calgary Stampede. Weather and racetrack conditions were absolutely perfect, and close finishes were the order of the evening. By the time the Tuesday night was complete, Chanse Vigen, driving the KMA Construction Inc. outfit, won his second day money in five runs with a very rapid 1:10.42.
From barrel number 3 in the 9th heat, Vigen was the top wagon on the night by nearly a full second over Chad Fike who also had a tremendous run, but had to settle for second place on the night. For the second consecutive night Kurt Bensmiller had the third best time on the night, with Darcy Flad and Layne MacGillivray rounding out the top five on the night.
The day money run has put Chanse Vigen back on top of the overall aggregate standings with a five-run total of 5:57.45. That puts him just one-tenth of a second ahead of Kurt Bensmiller with Layne MacGillivray now moving up into that ever so important top three. Rae Croteau Jr. and Mark Sutherland round out the top five after five nights of competition.
The top 3 in the aggregate after Saturday, July 15, 2023, will go into the championship final heat. The winner of the championship final heat will be declared the 2023 Calgary Stampede Rangeland Derby Champion.
Live coverage of day 6 of the 2023 Cowboys Rangeland Derby can be heard Wednesday night, July 12, 2023 on WPCA Radio starting 7:45pm Mountain time on Real Country 910am and can be seen on Sportsnet One starting at 8:30pm local time. Check your local listings.
Billy Melville
