June 28, 2011 –
Opening night of the Ponoka Stampede Championship in Ponoka ran under variably cloudy skies and 20°C on a beautiful Tuesday evening.
5-time Ponoka finalist Luke Tournier opened up the prestigious event with the top time of 1:13.39. From barrel 1 in heat 5, Tournier, driving the J & L Supply Co. Ltd. Outfit, grabbed the day money 44 one-hundreds of a second faster than 2009 Ponoka finalist Mark Sutherland. Former Ponoka Champions Grant Profit and Rick Fraser placed third and fourth respectively, with Rae Croteau Jr., who would have had the track record had it not been for a two-second outriding penalty, rounding out the top five for the night.
The top 4 wagons after Saturday night’s run will go in to the $50,000.00 Tommy Dorchester Memorial Sudden Death Championship final heat where the winner will be declared the 2011 Ponoka Stampede Champion.
Day 2 from the 75th Ponoka Stampede Championship can be heard live on Wednesday, June 29 at 7:15pm on Classic Country AM1060 out of Calgary, 890AM CJDC out of Dawson Creek and 99.7 FM The Wolf out of Bonnyville. Television coverage can be seen on SHAW TV starting at 9:30.
Billy Melville
Day 1 Results Rank Driver Sponsor Total Time
1 Luke Tournier J & L Supply Co. Ltd. 1:13.39
2 Mark Sutherland Swamp Donkey Oilfield Services 1:13.83
3 Grant Profit Ja-Co Welding & Consulting 1:14.29
4 Rick Fraser Hellfires Suppression Services 1:14.53
5 Rae Croteau Jr. TOMCO Group of Companies 1:14.56
6 Kirk Sutherland EMCO Corporation 1:14.98
7 Jason Glass Cinch Jeans & Shirts 1:14.99
8 Troy Dorchester Team Rig & Supply/Decarson Rentals 1:15.00
9 Chad Harden Image Distributors 1:15.07
10 John Walters Dwight Green Oilfield Consulting Ltd. 1:15.11
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