2011 Grande Prairie Stompede Championship – Grande Prairie, AB
The professional chuckwagon season kicked off on Wednesday night with the 34th running of the Grande Prairie Stompede Championship in Grande Prairie, Alberta. Rae Croteau Jr. came into this year’s event as the defending Grande Prairie champion, while local hero Kelly Sutherland starts defending the World Chuckwagon Championship that he won for the 11th time in 2010.
Weather conditions were a little cool and cloudy and a little rain fell, but track conditions were ideal, and some spectacular races were seen by the Grande Prairie chuckwagon fans on opening night of the professional chuckwagon season. After a timing malfunction was discovered, Grant Profit officially opened up the 2011 season with a track record run of 1:14.03.
Coming off barrel number 3 in heat number 9, Profit, driving the Ja-Co Welding & Consulting Ltd. outfit placed first overall for the day by 52 one-hundreds of a second over Obrey Motowylo who placed 2nd overall for the night. Colt Cosgrave, Troy Dorchester and Kelly Sutherland rounded out the top 5 for the night. The previous track record of 1:14.83 was set by Edgar Baptiste way back in 1993.
There will be $80,000.00 and a new Dodge Truck added to the final day at the Grande Prairie Stompede. The top wagon in the aggregate after Saturday’s run will receive the Ralph Vigen Memorial Award. The top 4 drivers in the aggregate after Saturday night will go into the sudden death championship final heat where the winner will drive off in a 2011 Dodge Ram Truck and take home the Grande Prairie Stompede Championship.
More Information Available at www.halfmileofhell.com