Defending Champion Luke Tournier Ties For The Top Bid Of 2025
The feel-good stories for the professional chuckwagon drivers continued tonight as the second last chuckwagon canvas auction for the 2025 WPCA Pro Tour presented by GMC took place for one of chuckwagon racing’s premier events – the Ponoka Stampede – at the Stagecoach Saloon on the Ponoka Stampede grounds in Ponoka, Alberta.
Prime advertising space was available on the chuckwagons of the best 32 chuckwagon drivers, in the world today plus four Wildcard Wagons on chuckwagon racing’s predominant racing circuit. For the third consecutive year, the Ponoka Stampede had a record Sale total, bringing in a total of $617,000.00. It’s the first time the Ponoka Stampede Chuckwagon Canvas Auction broke the $600,000.00 mark.
It was a tremendous sale to say the least, up $40,500.00 over the now previous record total of $576,500.00 set just last year. The top bid of the night went to Defending Ponoka Stampede Champion Luke Tournier and 2022 Calgary Stampede Rangeland Derby Champion Kris Molle when Pidherney’s and Eagle Builders each paid $35,000.00 respectively for the six day show that starts June 26, 2025. The average bid was $17,138.89, with the median bid at $16,000.00. The low bid for the sale was at even $8,000.00.
The final chuckwagon canvas auction involving WPCA drivers will be for the Teepee Creek Stampede on May 27, 2025 at the Jackpot Grill & Events Centre located at 10904 92nd Avenue in Grande Prairie, Alberta. The Teepee Creek Stampede will run from July 11-13, 2025 at the Stampede Grounds in Teepee Creek, Alberta.
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 28 – June 1, 2025 with the running of the Grande Prairie Stompede. Check wpca.com for further details.
Billy Melville
| Driver | Sponsor | Amount Bid |
| Luke Tournier | Pidherney’s | $35,000.00 |
| Kris Molle | Eagle Builders | $35,000.00 |
| Chanse Vigen | McWilliam Automotive & CBI Solar | $28,000.00 |
| Wade Salmond | VJV Livestock Marketing Group | $25,000.00 |
| Dustin Gorst | Century Downs Racetrack and Casino | $23,000.00 |
| Jamie Laboucane | Wild Rows Pump & Compression Ltd. | $21,000.00 |
| Kurt Bensmiller | Versatile Energy Services Ltd. | $21,000.00 |
| Chad Fike | TOMCO Group of Companies | $20,000.00 |
| Troy Dorchester | Team Rig & Supply/PureChem Services | $20,000.00 |
| Jason Glass | Birchcliff Energy Ltd. | $19,000.00 |
| Dayton Sutherland | Kinsmen Consulting Ltd. | $19,000.00 |
| Chance Bensmiller | Alberta Roof Experts | $19,000.00 |
| Layne MacGillivray | Friends of MacGillivray Racing | $18,000.00 |
| Obrey Motowylo | The Co-operators | $18,000.00 |
| Evan Magee | Crush it – Hard Iced Tea – made with Provincial Vodka! | $18,000.00 |
| Doug Irvine | Silent Ice Sports & Entertainment | $18,000.00 |
| Wild Card #1 | Torch Industries Ltd./Earth Drilling Co. Ltd. | $18,000.00 |
| Rae Croteau Jr. | Midwest Pipelines Inc. | $16,000.00 |
| Evan Salmond | De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd. | $16,000.00 |
| Cody Ridsdale | Calnash Trucking | $16,000.00 |
| Darcy Flad | Wetaskiwin Ready Mix | $15,000.00 |
| Preston Faithful | De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd. | $15,000.00 |
| Chance Thomson | Moore’s Realty Ltd. | $15,000.00 |
| Todd Baptiste | Red Pheasant Cree Nation | $14,000.00 |
| Mitch Sutherland | Morskate Manufacturing | $14,000.00 |
| Chance Flad | Boot Hill Ranch | $14,000.00 |
| Cruise Bensmiller | Red Deer Lock & Safe Ltd. | $13,000.00 |
| Ross Knight | R/T Rentals Inc. | $13,000.00 |
| Layne Flad | Quick Moves Concrete Pumping Ltd. | $12,000.00 |
| Dean Dreger | Central Alberta Tile One | $12,000.00 |
| Tuff Dreger | Parachutes For Pets | $11,000.00 |
| Roger Moore | Optimum Equipment Solutions | $11,000.00 |
| Josh Hrynyk | Rai-Lynn Trucking Ltd. | $9,000.00 |
| Wild Card #2 | Benchmark Commodities Ltd. | $9,000.00 |
| Wild Card #3 | Debs Cab | $9,000.00 |
| Wild Card #4 | CBO Earthworks | $8,000.00 |
| Total Amount Bid | $617,000.00 | |
| Average Bid | $17,138.89 | |
| Median Bid | $16,000.00 | |
| High Bid | $35,000.00 | |
| Low Bid | $8,000.00 | |
| 2025 Total | $576,500.00 | |
| Difference Over 2024 | $40,500.00 |
