By Laurence Heinen
Juggling schoolwork with a career in chuckwagon racing has paid dividends for Layne Flad.
The 24-year-old reinsman from Bodo, Alta., recently graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a degree in mechanical engineering and he’s already got a job lined up for when racing season ends.
“The company that sponsors my wagon box is Roska DBO Inc.,” said Flad, who’s sitting 17th in the World Professional Chuckwagon Association driver standings. “I interned with them two years ago and now I’m going back to work for them this fall in their engineering department.”
Currently in his fifth year on the WPCA Pro Tour, Flad has been busy, to say the least. At the conclusion of each racing season, Flad headed straight back to Saskatoon to switch his attentions towards completing his degree.
“The timeline between the two worked out really well because spring training started right at the end of school,” he said. “It was always like one would end and the other would start. The season would end there towards the end of August and school would start at the beginning of September. The two timelines fit really well. I just kept going from one thing to the next and always stayed busy doing something.”
As part of his schooling, he completed an internship with Roska DBO and did so well that the company offered him a job and also agreed to be one of his sponsors.
“Roska’s been phenomenal to me,” Flad said. “They’re really good people there. They just said when you’re done racing in the fall, you come back to work and in the spring you can start up racing again. They sponsor my wagon box this year and we’re having a great time hosting people for them … just showing them sort of the behind-the-scenes action. They’re really falling in love with it.”
Like many of his fellow competitors, Flad was born into the sport of chuckwagon racing. His grandfathers Herman Flad and Dwight Green are former drivers and his dad Darcy Flad is his mentor and travelling partner.
“We do everything together,” said the youngest of four Flads competing on the WPCA circuit (the others are his uncle Troy and second cousin Chance). “We go up and down the road together … and we buy horses together. We’re close.”
After serving as one of the Chuckwagon 101 demonstration drivers at the Calgary Stampede last year, Layne unfortunately didn’t get the call to compete at the 2025 Cowboys Rangeland Derby.
“They sat me out this year,” he said. “If I keep running good and keep jumping up the World standings, I think they’ll take a look at me. You never know. It’s not something that I try to worry about. I’ve more got to focus on driving good every day. If I do that, then hopefully I’ll get the call in the fall.”
As for this year, he’ll head to Calgary to help out his dad at the 10-day show from July 4-15.
“He’ll take the best outfits and some spares and outriding horses,” Layne said. “He’ll take the pick of the barn to Calgary and go and try to win that show. It’s great going there to have a good show.”
Before that, the Flads will concentrate on putting up good results at the Wainwright Stampede, which runs from Friday to Sunday, and the Ponoka Stampede, which starts on June 26 and ends on Canada Day.
“It’s close to home for us,” said Layne of the close proximity of the next two events to Bodo. “It’s always nice when you can be close to home and race. Being close to home, we’ll have lots of friends and family coming to watch.”
After placing 13th in the aggregate standings at last weekend’s Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede, Layne has confidence that he can keep putting up strong results.
“Definitely, I think I’m trending in the right direction,” said Layne, who’s hoping to climb higher than 17th in the driver standings. “It’s tough going. I’ve had three really good shows, so that just shows how tough everybody else is.”
Last Saturday in Medicine Hat, Layne placed sixth on the night just behind his dad, which was a confidence booster for both Flads.
Layne said he’s had consistent strong efforts from an outfit that he put together to run off the No. 1 and 2 barrels.
“They got put together this spring here and they work phenomenal together,” he said of his relatively inexperienced outfit, which is comprised of right leader Orb, left leader Jackson, right wheeler Woody and left leader Q. “Orb is coming into his fourth year. It’s Woody’s third year, Jackson’s second and Q’s a new one.”
The emergence of Q has been a bit of a surprise for the Flads.
“We went down to Oklahoma last spring and bought 10 out of there and he was one of them,” Layne said. “He got put right onto that good outfit. He’s a nice horse. That’s something we’ve got to do every year is to try and find these new ones that keep getting better and better every year. When you get a horse like that that emerges, it’s a good feeling.”
