Night 2 of the Ponoka Stampede Championship in Ponoka, Alberta ran under variably cloudy skies, a few raindrops and 17°C on Wednesday evening. Mark Sutherland had the hot run of the night and took the day money with a run of 1:13.91.
From barrel 2 in heat 7, Sutherland, driving the Swamp Donkey Oilfield Services Outfit, grabbed first place by 22 one-hundreds over 1997 Ponoka champion Mike Vigen. Kirk Sutherland placed third, 3-time Ponoka champion Reg Johnstone was fourth, with 1999 Ponoka champion Grant Profit rounding out the top five for the night.
The day money run also moved Mark Sutherland into first place overall with a 2-day combined time of 2:27.74. Kirk Sutherland moved up into second place overall, with Grant Profit and day 1 winner Luke Tournier making out the top four overall. Rae Croteau Jr. sits in fifth place overall, just 40 one-hundreds of a second outside the top 4. 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 3 from the 75th Ponoka Stampede Championship can be heard live on Thursday, June 30 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 and SHAW Direct Channel 299 starting at 10:00pm.
Billy Melville
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Day 2 Results
Rank Driver Sponsor Total Time
1 Mark Sutherland Swamp Donkey Oilfield Services 1:13.91
2 Mike Vigen White Owl Whisky By Highwood Distillers Ltd. 1:14.13
3 Kirk Sutherland EMCO Corporation 1:14.67
4 Reg Johnstone ATB Financial 1:15.17
5 Grant Profit Ja-Co Welding & Consulting 1:15.53
6 Mitch Sutherland Double W Ranch 1:15.71
7 Kelly Sutherland Knelsen Rock Products Ltd. 1:15.81
8 Rae Croteau Jr. TOMCO Group of Companies 1:15.93
9 Jerry Bremner Standard Resources Fund 1:16.06
10 Tim Haroldson Don Laing Trailers 1:16.07