Jamie Laboucane, Chanse Vigen, and Jason Glass have secured their spots in Sunday's winner-take-all Dash for Cash at the Calgary Stampede's Rangeland Derby. Laboucane finished atop the aggregate standings after nine days with a cumulative time of 10:47.00, while defending champion Vigen (10:49.97) and Glass (10:52.11) claimed the other two berths.
Laboucane Dominates with Fastest Time on Four Nights
Laboucane, driving the Panorama Advisory Group outfit, posted the quickest time on Day 9 at 1:11.01, capping a week where he recorded the fastest time on four separate nights. He also secured day money on multiple occasions, with his lowest daily finish being sixth on Day 8.
“It feels great. The one outfit has been explosive and strong and has gotten me day monies. And then the other one has been just as strong as well,” Laboucane said. “The lowest I placed with them was sixth for the day (on Day 8). We’re running strong all week and it’s been coming together very nicely.”
Vigen Defends Title with Consistent Runs
Vigen, the defending champion driving the VisitLethbridge.com/Bet365 rig, posted the fastest time only once (Day 8) but maintained consistency to secure second in the aggregate. He emphasized that day money is secondary to advancing.
“It’s always good to get day money, but the main thing is we had a clean run and we kept our spot in the aggregate,” Vigen said. “The day money is a bonus, but the key is to get into the Dash. When you’re hooked with the guys around you in the standings and you win your heat, that’s always good because you can make up some ground.”
Heading into Sunday's championship heat, Vigen plans to stick with his proven approach: “Not a whole bunch of change, just stick to what’s working. We’re going to do the exact same process and follow it the way we did last year because it worked for us. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Glass Overcomes Personal Loss to Claim Final Berth
Jason Glass, driving the Birchcliff Energy wagon, provided the feel-good story of this year's Rangeland Derby. Racing through an emotional week after the death of his father Tom just weeks ago, Glass secured the third and final Dash for Cash spot. Despite knocking over a barrel on opening day, he rebounded with fastest times on Days 5 and 6.
Prime Minister Mark Carney attended Saturday's races alongside Calgary Confederation Liberal MP Corey Hogan, watching the drivers qualify for the final.
Laboucane's Strategy for Sunday Final
Laboucane entered Saturday night with a comfortable lead and focused on strategy. “I’ll rest my outfit that I’ve been getting money with and have them ready for Sunday,” he said. “That’s the plan. I just needed a clean run and to stay close enough to hold on to where I’m at. Then it gives me a better shot to try to win it.”
Laboucane noted that racing at the Stampede is unique due to its scale and attention. “It’s a great show. It’s a different beast running the 10 days, and there’s a lot of media, a lot of attention and a lot of coverage. It takes years and years to get used to that and still learn how to block out the noise,” he said.
