Layne Flad – Closes the Gap Heading Into Saturday In Medicine Hat
Photo By Shellie Scott
It was another exciting night of chuckwagon racing on Friday at the Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede. Cool temperatures and brisk winds greeted the competitors, but track conditions were ideal. When the dust settled, it was Layne Flad who captured the Kirk’s Trail Tire Wheels on Fire Fast Time of the Night with the quickest run of the meet so far, stopping the clock in 1:02.21.
Coming off barrel number one in the eleventh heat, Flad, driving the AgroPlus Inc. outfit, finished first overall on the day by just over half a second ahead of Troy Dorchester, who was second fastest. Jason Glass, Jordie Fike and Chanse Vigen rounded out the top five on the night.
Despite Flad’s impressive performance, Chanse Vigen’s Volker Stevin Canada outfit continues to lead the overall aggregate standings with a two-day total of 2:06.42. Vigen holds a slim 32 one-hundredths of a second advantage over Flad, while Jason Glass remains third overall. Former Medicine Hat champion Evan Salmond sits 1.29 seconds behind Glass in the race for the final Championship Final berth, with last week’s Bonnyville Chuckwagon Championship winner Logan Gorst 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 Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede Champion.
Day 3 of the Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede can be heard live on Saturday, June 13, 2026, beginning at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, 8:00 p.m. Central and 7:00 p.m. Mountain Time on 96.5 The Ranch. Streaming is also available through the WPCA website at wpca.com, as well as on the iHeartRadio and Radioplayer Canada websites and apps.
Billy Melville
