Croteau Jr. makes family history at Wainwright Stampede

Heavy rainfall in Wainwright led to the finale of the Wainwright Stampede’s Championship Sunday to be cancelled. This is the second time in three weeks professional chuckwagon racing has seen the championship being awarded to the driver with the best three-day aggregate time rather than through a Championship Final Heat.

Despite the cancellation of the final day, Rae Croteau Jr. was declared the 2026 Wainwright Champion and made family history.

The three-day aggregate time Croteau Jr. secured the title with was 3:09.01; finishing 1.40 second faster than track record holder and Grande Prairie native Chanse Vigen. Jamie Laboucane was third, Jason Glass fourth, and Logan Gorst fifth in the standings.

The victory was Croteau Jr.’s first at the Wainwright Stampede. Now, the Croteau family has won the championship through three generations of drivers. Rae Jr. follows his father Bert’s wins in 1994 and 2001, and his grandfather Ray’s in 1987, 1991, and 1993.