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Lee Adamson wins fourth chuckwagon title in Red Deer

Lee Adamson finally chased down a record near and dear to him Sunday in Red Deer.
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Lee Adamson drives past the finish line at the Westerner Days North American Pony Chuckwagon Championships on Sunday in Red Deer. Adamson raced to a championship best time of 1:14.87 on Sunday to win the dash for cash and the aggregate title. (Photo by Byron Hackett/Advocate Staff)

Lee Adamson finally chased down a record near and dear to him Sunday in Red Deer.

Adamson was named aggregate and the dash for cash winner at Westener Days North American Pony Chuckwagon Championships on the final day of competition, his fourth victory at the event.

His dad, Ray, also a well-known chuckwagon driver had won four times in Red Deer and for the younger Adamson after 34 years of driving, it was special to catch him.

“This is my fourth title. I’ve officially tied my dad now, so it’s special. My son races now, he took over my dad’s hitch. We pretty much do it all the time,” Adamson said.

The long-time chuck driver from Camrose said that it was also a memorable victory because of the drivers he was able to beat in the final heat. He edged out veteran Louis Johner with a time of 1:14.87, also the fastest time of the entire five-day competition.

“(Louis Johner) has been around for so long and he’s been consistent as heck. I really wasn’t concerned with the dash, I just wanted to try and get the average. If I could beat Louie then that was my goal,” Adamson said.

Adamson’s aggregate time of 6:26.45 was a full second faster than Johner. He added the whole week was about being consistent and just doing his best to get in the final heat.

“I’ve had good running times all week but my barrels weren’t spectacular. I know the guys that were in the heat with me are all really good barrelers so I had to have a really day and I think we did,” Adamson said. “My horses got lots of run (this week). They bail me out of a lot of situations. It’s nice to have that to fall back on.”

John Stott was third on the aggregate with a time of 6:28.49. He finished in 1:16.34 in the dash for cash. Garry Theil was the fourth driver in the dash and he had a time of 1:16.07. Rookie Kolton Theil also had a successful trip to Red Deer, he managed to sneak into fourth place on aggregate after Sunday with a time of 6:29.71.

Adamson will head to Bruce with his team next weekend and tours around Northern and Central Alberta. They start racing in the middle of May and continue all summer long until September.

byron.hackett@reddeeradvocate.com



Byron Hackett

About the Author: Byron Hackett

Byron has been the sports reporter at the advocate since December of 2016. He likes to spend his time in cold hockey arenas accompanied by luke warm, watered down coffee.
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