Evan Magee (C) Is All Smiles After Taking the High Bid For the Second Consecutive Canvas Auction At The Ponoka Stampede Chuckwagon Canvas Auction As Are WPCA Track Announcer Les McIntyre (L) And World Champion Auctioneer Danny Skeels (R).
The final chuckwagon canvas auction for the 2023 WPCA Pro Tour presented by GMC took place for one of chuckwagon racing’s premier events – the Ponoka Stampede – on Friday, May 5, 2023 at the Stagecoach Saloon on the Ponoka Stampede grounds in Ponoka, Alberta. Prime advertising space was available on the wagons of the best 34 chuckwagon drivers in the world today plus two Wildcard Wagons on chuckwagon racing’s predominant racing circuit. If all of the chuckwagon canvas auctions in 2023 are an indication of the economic conditions year, the Ponoka Stampede outdid themselves as the combined sale total was a record total for Ponoka Stampede at $553,000.00.
It was a tremendous sale to say the least, up $163,250.00 over the 2022 total of $389,750.00. For the second consecutive canvas auction, Evan Magee was the high bid with the top seller when Krycket Consulting paid $29,500.00 for the six day show that starts June 26, 2023. The average bid was $15,361.11, with the median bid at $15,750.00. The low bid for the sale was an even $6,000.00. The previous record was $519,000.00 in 2015.
In less than one month, the wagons roll into Grande Prairie, Alberta with the first stop on the WPCA Pro Tour presented by GMC from May 31 – June 4, 2023 with the running of the Grande Prairie Stompede. Check wpca.com for further details.
Billy Melville
| 2023 Ponoka Stampede Canvas Auction Results | ||
| Driver | Sponsor | Amount Bid |
| Evan Magee | Krycket Consulting | $29,500.00 |
| Wade Salmond | Pidherney’s | $27,000.00 |
| Rae Croteau Jr. | Tech Group Inc. | $24,000.00 |
| Kris Molle | Eagle Builders | $21,000.00 |
| Chad Fike | Summit Fleet | $20,000.00 |
| Codey McCurrach | TOMCO Group of Companies | $20,000.00 |
| Troy Dorchester | Team Rig & Supply/PureChem Services/Newforce Energy Services | $20,000.00 |
| Chanse Vigen | Wentworth Oilfield Services Ltd. | $19,000.00 |
| Dustin Gorst | Century Downs Racetrack and Casino | $19,000.00 |
| Layne MacGillivray | Friends of MacGillivray Chuckwagon Team | $18,000.00 |
| Obrey Motowylo | The Co-operators | $18,000.00 |
| Doug Irvine | Optimum Equipment Solutions | $18,000.00 |
| Evan Salmond | De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd. | $18,000.00 |
| Cody Ridsdale | Long Chain Reclaim | $18,000.00 |
| Troy Flad | Mr. Fireplace | $18,000.00 |
| Dayton Sutherland | Friends of Sutherland Racing | $18,000.00 |
| Mark Sutherland | Reinhart Oilfield Services Ltd. | $18,000.00 |
| Kurt Bensmiller | Versatile Energy Services Ltd. | $16,000.00 |
| Chance Thomson | VJV Auction Co. Ltd. | $15,500.00 |
| Jason Glass | Birchcliff Energy Ltd. | $15,000.00 |
| Chance Flad | Calnash Trucking | $15,000.00 |
| Cruise Bensmiller | Stormy River Ranch | $15,000.00 |
| Layne Flad | Quick Moves Concrete Pumping Ltd. | $14,500.00 |
| Jordie Fike | Torch Industries Ltd. | $14,000.00 |
| Chance Bensmiller | Main Street Truck Sales | $12,500.00 |
| Darcy Flad | Wetaskiwin Ready Mix | $12,000.00 |
| Mitch Sutherland | WeldPro Limited | $11,000.00 |
| Ross Knight | Midwest Pipelines Inc. | $10,500.00 |
| Roger Moore | Hayshakers Bobcat Service Ltd. | $10,000.00 |
| Derek Aebly | Secure Energy | $10,000.00 |
| Kirk Sutherland | Morskate Manufacturing | $8,000.00 |
| Dean Dreger | Pacesetter Equipment Ltd. | $6,500.00 |
| Kelly Morin | Shoulder to Shoulder with Ukraine/Jeff & Julie DeSutter | $6,000.00 |
| Josh Hrynyk | Benchmark Commodities Ltd. | $6,000.00 |
| Wild Card #1 | 5 Star Propane Ltd. | $6,000.00 |
| Wild Card #2 | Canadian Premium Meats Inc. | $6,000.00 |
| Total Amount Bid | $553,000.00 | |
| Average Bid | $15,361.11 | |
| Median Bid | $15,750.00 | |
| High Bid | $29,500.00 | |
| Low Bid | $6,000.00 | |
| 2022 Total | $389,750.00 | |
| Difference Over 2022 | $163,250.00 | |
