2025 Poundmaker Days Chuckwagon Classic Champions
L & M Hay Sales Outfit
L-R: Poundmaker Cree Nation Chief Duane Antoine Presenting, Driver Lane Tournier, Outriders Darwin Ward and Britt Irvine
Photo By Stick Antoine
After a rainy Monday night resulted in an unscheduled day off. it was a hot 28°C on the Poundmaker Cree Nation near Cut Knife, Saskatchewan as the finals of the 2025 Poundmaker Days Chuckwagon Classic came to a close on Tuesday. When the races were complete, it was Lane Tournier, driving the L & M Hay Sales outfit, and along with outriders Darwin Ward and Britt Irvine who emerged as the champions in a very competitive Championship Final Heat.
From barrel position number one in heat number eight, Tornier established a new track record of 1:12.87 and beat out Vern Nolin’s number two wagon, who came off of barrel number two, by 80 one-hundredths of a second, with Ryan Baptiste placing third from barrel number three. Tournier, who has been filling in as a replacement driver for his father Luke Tournier who was injured at the Wainwright Stampede two weeks ago, beat the old Poundmaker track record of 1:13.55 that ironically was set by his father Luke during the Poundmaker stop on the CPCA circuit back in 2023, by 68 one-hundredths of a second. It’s the first win show championship win for Lane Tournier as a chuckwagon driver, and the first for outrider Britt Irvine.
Tournier qualified for the championship final heat in first place overall after posting the best three-day aggregate time of 3:45.79. Ryan Baptiste qualified in second place overall, 98 one-hundredths of a second behind aggregate winner Lane Tournier. Vern Nolin’s second wagon competed the Championship Final after jumping moving up from 4th place overall into the third and final qualifying spot. Evan Magee, who was looking to qualify for his first career championship final heat, missed Sunday’s final by 51 one-hundredths of a second, with Brad McMann completing the top five overall.
The track record run was the third first place run in the four-day show for Lane Tournier who also took first place honours on nights one and two, with Brad McMann posting the fastest time on night number three. Five of the twenty drivers entered two chuckwagons, with the other fifteen drivers having single entries. Day results for the four-day show were as follows:
| Rank | Driver | Day 1 Total Time | Rank | Driver | Day 2 Total Time | |
| 1 | Lane Tournier | 1:14.64 | 1 | Lane Tournier | 1:13.61 | |
| 2 | Ryan Baptiste | 1:15.53 | 2 | Brad McMann (Wagon #2) | 1:14.60 | |
| 3 | Doug Irvine | 1:16.40 | 3 | Evan Magee | 1:14.73 | |
| 4 | Vern Nolin (Wagon #2) | 1:16.55 | 4 | Ryan Baptiste | 1:14.96 | |
| 5 | Kirk Sutherland | 1:16.72 | 5 | Doug Irvine | 1:14.98 | |
| Rank | Driver | Day 3 Total Time | Rank | Driver | Day 4 Total Time | |
| 1 | Brad McMann | 1:14.86 | 1 | Lane Tournier | 1:12.87 * | |
| 2 | Vern Nolin | 1:15.12 | 2 | Vern Nolin (Wagon #2) | 1:13.67 | |
| 3 | Vern Nolin (Wagon #2) | 1:15.66 | 3 | Doug Irvine (Wagon #2) | 1:14.18 | |
| 4 | Evan Magee | 1:15.68 | 4 | Evan Magee | 1:14.79 | |
| 5 | Ryan Baptiste | 1:16.28 | 5 | Ryan Baptiste | 1:14.87 |
* Track Record Run 
The Poundmaker Days Chuckwagon Classic was a late addition to the 2025 race schedule and is being operated independently by the Poundmaker Cree Nation. It is composed of chuckwagon drivers from both the World Professional Chuckwagon Association (WPCA) and Canadian Professional Chuckwagon Association (CPCA) that are not competing at the 2025 Calgary Stampede Rangeland Derby, and no points are earned towards either association’s standings.
Drivers who were not invited to the Calgary Stampede Rangeland Derby presented by Play Alberta will have the opportunity to race at the Teepee Creek Stampede from July 11-13, 2025.
Billy Melville
