Sutherlands synonymous with chuckwagon racing
Three men from the sport’s first family battle it out at GMC Rangeland Derby
Nearly a year later, this mystery remains unsolved.
If you fancy yourself a sleuth, here are the facts...
Kirk Sutherland delivered the championship run last summer at the Calgary Stampede’s Rangeland Derby, a long-overdue accomplishment for the veteran chuckwagon driver from Grande Prairie.
His son, Mitch, was second across the finish line in that decisive dash.
“My granddaughter (Emerson), when she was with me, she was crying. She couldn’t stop crying,” Kirk Sutherland recalled. “And I didn’t know if she was crying because I won or crying because her dad lost. “She still hasn’t told me.” With the 2017 Rangeland Derby now underway, we’ll spare Emerson the interrogation, file this away as a cold case and agree it was special night for both father and son.
After four decades in the sport, Kirk finally crossed the biggie off his wish-list, collecting the shiny bronze and the $100,000 cheque at the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth in his fourth appearance in the championship heat. He actually peeled out of Calgary with a hattrick of major honours, also claiming the Richard Cosgrave Memorial Award as the aggregate winner and the Calgary Stampede Safety Award thanks to a 10-day cruise without a single penalty.
Mitch, meanwhile, proved to the crowd in Cowtown that he’s capable of running with the big boys, qualifying for his first six-figure showdown and finishing just 1.06 seconds in the rear-view.
“I think the win was easier to fathom than to actually sit down and see the race a couple of times (on video) with my son within striking distance there,” Kirk said. “That’s what made it so special. I mean, it was special to win it, but it was just that much better that he was right there with me. That just made it so special — it sure did.”
This promises to be another special stop in Calgary for one of the famed families in this business.
At 65, chuckwagon legend Kelly Sutherland will retire after this season, meaning these will be his final spins at Stampede Park. With a record dozen Rangeland Derby titles on his resume, The King deserves a stirring send-off.
His younger brother, 60-yearold Kirk, arrived as the reigning champ and the rig that everybody is chasing. Kirk, whose wagon tarp is being sponsored by Command Fishing & Pipe Recovery Ltd., finished his business Friday in 1:12:67 on the scorching first night of the 2017 Rangeland Derby, while Kelly (Tervita/Air Canada) completed his latest lap of the Half Mile of Hell in 1:13.76.
“There’s some outside pressures and expectations. Of course, everybody is watching,” Kirk admitted prior to Friday’s races. “Even the competitors, they know now, ‘That guy is going to be one of the ones to beat.’ It’s just a little more pressure, but that’s good. It makes your job a little more interesting.”
Kirk Sutherland has had mixed results this summer as he tries to mix a few up-and-comers into his barn, but a 10-day hot streak in Calgary can turn a so-so season into an unforgettable campaign in the blink of an eye.
“It brings back some good memories, picks a guy’s spirits up,” Sutherland said of his return to Stampede Park. “You have to think back to all the work you put in it, and that’s the reward. You continue on, and you try to get another one, but there’s nothing like the first one. Nothing compares to the first one.”
AROUND THE BARRELS
Mark Sutherland (Cowboys Casino Posse) upstaged his father Kelly and uncle Kirk on opening night, bursting off Barrel 3 in the fourth heat and topping the daymoney charts with a blistering run of 1:12:31. Chanse Vigen (Qualico Communities) set an impressive pace in the first race of the evening and wound up second in 1:12:33, while Chance Bensmiller (Knoxvilles Tavern) is also off to a swell start after stopping the clock in 1:12:36 … Vern Nolin (Dentons Canada LLP) had a sour ending at the 2016 Rangeland Derby, registering a no-time in the championship heat. He didn’t enjoy a stellar start upon his return, either, dinged for a five-second penalty after knocking over a barrel.