Jamie Laboucane, right, finishes just ahead of Obrey Motowylo in Heat 9 of the Rangeland Derby at the Calgary Stampede on Sunday, July 6, 2025. Photo by Mike Drew /Postmedia

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The Calgary Stampede’s Rangeland Derby is in full swing, and we’ve got all the info you need to stay up to date on chuckwagon racing.

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If you’re looking for a primer on how the rodeo works, you’ll find the answers to all your questions in this article (right underneath the daily rodeo results.)

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RELAY RACES

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Semifinal — Day 9

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1. Poitras Relay (Heat 2, Box 4), 3:00.63 time (0 penalties), 3:00.63 total, $6,000

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2. Crazy Cree (Heat 2, Box 2), 3:02.32 (0), 3:02.32, $4,500

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3. White Lightning Express (Heat 1, Box 2), 3:03.48 (0), 3:03.48, $3,000.00

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4. Big Tobacco (Heat 2, Box 3), 3:03.64 (0), 3:03.64, $2,500

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5. Kainai Kruizers (Heat 1, Box 4), 3:04.48 (0), 3:04.48, $2,000

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6. In It 2 Win It (Heat 2, Box 1), 3:05.06 (0), 3:05.06, $1,500

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7. Chief Lapotac (Heat 1, Box 1), 3:07.75 (0), 3:07.75, $1,000

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8. Mountain River (Heat 1, Box 3), 3:08.07 (0), 3:08.07, $500

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While chuckwagon racing may look a little different than when it debuted at the Calgary Stampede in 1923, the general principles haven’t changed.

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Chuckwagon historian and commentator Billy Melville said that although the sport has been around for more than a century, the objective remains the same, with no exception for the 2026 Rangeland Derby at GMC Stadium.

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“Even though it’s gone through a number of changes, there are three underlying principles that have guided the chuckwagon races since Day 1,” said Melville, who loves talking about the sport that his grandfather Orville Strandquist excelled in at as both a driver and an outrider for seven decades from the 1930s to the ’90s. “What they are is that a chuckwagon race does three things: No. 1 is that it tests the skill of the driver; No. 2 is that it tests the skill of the outriders; and No. 3 it demonstrates the speed of the team. It’s really no more complicated than that.”

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Justian Wylie, who serves as the volunteer chair of the Calgary Stampede Chuckwagon and Relay Committee, likes to think back to those first races when the competitors actually had to hop out of their wagons at the finish line to see who could make a fire the fastest.

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“It was probably one of the most iconic Western sporting events in Canada and it really evolved from kind of real, working ranch cook wagons who race from camp to camp and who could set up camp fastest and light fire,” Wylie said. “Really it evolved from where you had wagons, similar to a track and field event, that would start from a standing position. The horn would go, similar to the gun going off in a in a track event, they would make a figure eight of barrels in the infield and it really evolved around who was the safest and fastest to get around the track and back to the finish line the quickest.

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“It involved having a stove thrown into the back of the wagon and outriders, which were really kind of the safety aspect to the wagon, ensuring that they were safe running around the track and getting back to the finish line the quickest.”

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WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE OUTRIDERS?

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At the beginning of the race, one of the outriders holds the reins of the lead team (front two horses of the outfit) to steady them, while the other outrider gets set to throw the stove into the back of the wagon when the klaxon sounds.

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“Outriders have specific tasks that they have to perform and they have to perform them to perfection, otherwise their team is going to get penalized,” said Melville, whose younger brother Eddie was an accomplished outrider before his retirement. “A good start is your best chance to get the desired result, so that’s where a good lead outrider comes in … set ’em straight, set ’em tight so that the driver has the best chance of getting off to a fast start and being in a spot where he can make the best turn, because a lot of times the race is won or lost at the barrels.”

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After completing their tasks quickly, the outriders have to leap in the air to mount their horses before following their drivers around what’s known as the ‘Half Mile Of Hell.’

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“When you get on the racetrack, you’re only as fast as your slowest horse, but if you can shave some time off in the barrels, that’s a lot of times where the race is won or lost,” Melville said.

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Drivers often refer to the other outrider as a ‘stove man’ or that he’s ‘on stove.’ All that means is that his job is to toss the stove (which actually isn’t a stove as Melville will explain) into the back of the wagon.

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“The stove right now for safety purposes, it’s about a 10-pound rubber barrel symbolic of the old cast iron stove that they would use out on the range,” Melville said. “Actually, they used to use a cast iron stove in the first chuckwagon races.”

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Outrider Rory Gervais runs ahead of the wagon at the start of Heat 3 in the Rangeland Derby chuckwagon races at the Calgary Stampede on July 10, 2023. Mike Drew/Postmedia

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WHO ARE THIS YEAR’S DEMONSTRATION DRIVERS?

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Tuff Dreger and Evan Magee will play vital roles at the Calgary Stampede prior to the nightly chuckwagon races.

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While they won’t compete in the 2026 Rangeland Derby Chuckwagon Races presented by Play Alberta, Dreger and Magee will serve as this year’s chuckwagon 101 demonstration drivers.

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With veteran track announcer Les McIntyre providing commentary each night from Friday until July 12, Dreger and Magee will give fans a glimpse of what chuckwagon racing is all about.

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On alternate nights, either Dreger or Magee (only one each evening for demonstration purposes as opposed to the three that will run in each of the nine nightly heats) will show the ins and outs of how the nightly heats of races will work to the fans in the stands at GMC Stadium.

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Dreger and Magee will guide their outfits, which are made up of four thoroughbred horses pulling their wagons with help from two outriders (one holding the lead team and the other getting set to throw the stove into the back rack of the wagon), to the starting line.

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“Every night we start the show with a demonstration to our fans that are sitting in the stands, so you’re going to have a good percentage of our fans that have never seen chuckwagon racing before and then you’re going to have our fans that follow the sport,” Wylie said. “They will have their two outriders and they will demonstrate what it is that our fans will see. So, the horn will go off, they will make the figure eight of the of the barrels in the infield and then they will run the track and show our fans exactly what it is that they will expect to see through those nine other heats throughout the night.”

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WHAT MAKES CHUCKWAGON RACING SO UNIQUE?

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What sets chuckwagon racing apart from other horse races is the exciting start when the three gifted reinsmen guide their outfits around the barrels in the infield before traversing the track to see which wagon crosses the finish line in the fastest time.

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“The reason they have the barrel turn, it goes back to that first principle: testing the skill of the driver,” Melville explained. “If you didn’t have the barrel turn, all a chuckwagon race would be is just another horse race pulling a cart, which wouldn’t be overly exciting.”

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Another aspect that makes the sport so unique is the care that the drivers give to their horses with help from their extended families and barn crew.

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“They’re the biggest priority in their lives,” Wylie said. “Those horses will get treated with top care and attention, with physio and massage and they get fed before the drivers will even have breakfast in the morning. They are the top priority in their lives and they’re the athletes of this sport. The drivers, they drive the wagons, but the horses, they’re the ones that get them around the track and they are the highest priority in their lives.”

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HOW IS THE RANGELAND DERBY CHAMPION DETERMINED?

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Staged in front of fans packed into GMC Stadium for the Calgary Stampede Evening Show, each night the 27 drivers will compete in nine heats of three competitors in each race.

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After nine nights of racing action, the drivers with the top three aggregate times will qualify for the Championship Final Heat – also known as the Dash For Cash – on Showdown Sunday.

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“We have 27 wagons that vie for that position through those nine nights to make it to the Dash, which is the final heat on night 10,” Wylie said.

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The winning driver in that final heat will take home $50,000 and a new GMC truck (estimated retail value of $105,000), while the second- and third-place finishers will pocket $20,000 and $10,000 respectively.

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Day money is also up for grabs each evening with the reinsman clocking the fastest time of the night earning $6,500. The second fastest driver each night takes home $5,500, third gets $4,800, fourth gets $4,500, while fifth snags $4,400.

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All 27 drivers have a chance to win money each night, as payments get lower depending on placement down to $2,500 for the reinsman who finishes in 27th spot.

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Chanse Vigen hits the finish in Heat 6 of the Rangeland Derby chuckwagon races at the Calgary Stampede on Friday, July 4, 2025. Photo by Mike Drew /Postmedia

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WHO ARE THE COMPETITORS?

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The field is made up of invited drivers from either the World Professional Chuckwagon Association or the Canadian Professional Chuckwagon Association. Based on last year’s performances throughout the season, 24 were invited from the WPCA and three were summoned from the CPCA.

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Rangeland Derby Chuckwagon Races presented by Play Alberta
*Denotes the 2025 Calgary Stampede champion

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Ryan Baptiste, Red Pheasant Cree Nation, Sask.
Chance Bensmiller, Red Deer County, Alta.
Cruise Bensmiller, Dewberry, Alta.
Kurt Bensmiller, Dewberry, Alta.
Rae Croteau Jr., Strathmore, Alta.
Troy Dorchester, Westerose, Alta.
Dallas Dyck, Dewberry, Alta.
Preston Faithful, Frog Lake First Nation, Alta.
Chad Fike, Cremona, Alta.
Jordie Fike, Blackie, Alta.
Chance Flad, Arrowwood, Alta.
Layne Flad, Bodo, Alta.
Jason Glass, High River, Alta.
Dustin Gorst, Wainwright, Alta.
Logan Gorst, Meadow Lake, Sask.
Ross Knight, St. Walburg, Sask.
Jamie Laboucane, St. Walburg, Sask.
Layne MacGillvray, Coronation, Alta.
Kris Molle, Chauvin, Alta.
Obrey Motowylo, Hoadley, Alta.
Vern Nolin, Dewberry, Alta.
Danny Ringuette, Bonnyville, Alta.
Evan Salmond, Hudson Bay, Sask.
Wade Salmond, Weekes, Sask.
Dayton Sutherland, De Winton, Alta.
Mitch Sutherland, Grande Prairie, Alta.
Chanse Vigen, Calgary, Alta.*

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WHAT OTHER AWARDS ARE UP FOR GRABS?

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– The Richard Cosgrave Memorial Aggregate/Safe Drive Award is awarded to the least penalized driver over 10 nights of the Rangeland Derby and for having the best time in the overall aggregate standings

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– Safety Pay-total of $137,000 will be paid out to the Top 12 positions, based on least driving penalty seconds accrued over all ten days of racing

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– The Orville Strandquist Memorial Award goes to the top rookie driver

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– The Outstanding Outrider Award goes to the top outrider based on points accumulated over 10 nights

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– The Equine Athlete of Excellence Awards go to the real stars of the show: the top right leader, top left leader, top right wheeler, top left wheeler and top two outriding horses.

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WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MOST COMMON WAGON PENALTIES?

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False start or creating a false start – 1 second

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Wagon starting ahead of the barrel – 1 second

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Wagon failing to follow the proper figure-eight pattern – 5 seconds

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Wagon starting ahead of the klaxon (starting horn) – 2 seconds minimum

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Wagon knocking over barrel – 5 seconds each barrel

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Wagon missing barrel – 10 seconds each barrel

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Wagon failing to stop before the barrel – 1 second

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Stove not loaded in rack before wagon completes top barrel turn – 2 seconds (if the stove is knocked or thrown out at any time after it has been loaded in the rack, no penalty will be assessed)

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Wagon interference (based on severity of offence) – 1 second minimum

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WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MOST COMMON OUTRIDER PENALTIES?

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Stove off ground – 1 second

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Outrider finishing ahead of lead team – 2 seconds

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Outrider knocking over barrel – 2 seconds each barrel

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Late outrider – 1 second

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Outrider missing barrel – 2 seconds each barrel

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Outrider failing to finish – 2 seconds

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