Chad Fike – Remarkable Run To Gain Access Into Sunday’s Championship Final In High River
Photo By Shellie Scott
The stage is now set for Championship Sunday at the 2026 Battle of the Foothills after an action-packed final night of preliminary racing under sunny skies and a blazing 30°C in High River. It was the final opportunity for drivers to earn a berth in Sunday’s Championship Final Heat, and when the final results were in, Jason Glass, Chance Bensmiller, Chad Fike, and Luke Tournier had secured their places in the battle for the 2026 Battle of the Foothills Championship.
Entering the evening, as many as 12 drivers still had a realistic chance of qualifying for the Championship Final. Despite incurring a one-second late outrider penalty, Jason Glass held on to the top spot in the overall aggregate standings with a three-day combined time of 3:43.68. Overnight leader Chance Bensmiller slipped to second overall, while Chad Fike produced one of the biggest moves of the weekend. Starting the day 16th in the aggregate standings, Fike posted the fastest run of the night to vault an incredible 13 positions into third overall. Luke Tournier also completed an impressive comeback. After carrying four seconds in outrider penalties into the weekend, the two-time High River champion climbed from eighth place at the start of the day into the fourth and final qualifying position. Wade Salmond remained fifth overall, finishing just 0.36 seconds shy of a berth in Sunday’s Championship Final.
On the night, Chad Fike, driving the TOMCO Group of Companies outfit, captured the Kirk’s Trail Tire Wheels on Fire Fast Time of the Night with a blistering run of 1:13.64 from barrel position number four in the seventh heat. Fike’s run was nearly a full second faster than Dayton Sutherland, who finished second. Dallas Dyck posted the third-fastest run of the evening, followed by Luke Tournier in fourth and Jason Glass in fifth.
The Championship Final of the Battle of the Foothills can be heard live Sunday beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET, 5:00 p.m. CT, and 4:00 p.m. MT on 96.5 The Ranch. Fans can also listen via streaming through the WPCA website (wpca.com), the iHeartRadio website and app, or the Radioplayer Canada website and app.
Billy Melville
