“Lighting” Luke Tournier salutes the crowd after running a 1:14.95 to win $50K during Sunday’s dash to wrap another action packed nine days of racing for the North American Chuckwagon Championship at Halstead Downs. Taylor Weaver Meridian Source Photos
After nine days of heats at Halstead Downs, “Lightning” Luke Tournier battled his way through the field to win the 2023 North American Chuckwagon Championship (NACC).
A native of Duck Lake, Sask, Tournier, like many other drivers, fought through penalties throughout the nine days of heats, but going into Sunday’s dash off the two-barrel, he was lined up against Devin Mitsuing on the one, Kris Flanagan on the three, and DJ King on the four. Championship Sunday also saw Tournier run a speedy 1:14.95 to win the dash and $50K.
“It’s always fun to win,” said Tournier in a post-race interview with local media.
“This is easy, today is the fun stuff,” he said. “It’s trying to get there (that’s the hard part). Every day is a grind, you’re trying to stay clean, but once you’re in the race you just let it all hang out.”
Tournier has been around chuckwagon racing for as long as he can remember and started in the CPCA. While racing out of the CPCA, Tournier took home 14 show championships, qualified for the CPCA Championship Dash twice, and was the recipient of the Kevan Mayan Sr. Memorial Award Family of the Year in 2001.
Tournier started racing out of the WPCA in 2003 and has won numerous show wins and awards. He was also the World Champion Chuckwagon Driver in 2016, is a two–time Calgary Stampede GMC Rangeland Derby Champion, a two–time Calgary Stampede Aggregate winner, and received the WPCA’s highest annual honour when he was named the Chuckwagon Person of the Year for 2013.
Tournier returned to the CPCA in 2021 to place 10th overall for the season. He returned to the track in 2022 to finish 5th in the CPCA standings, qualify for the Poundmaker Dash, as well as winning the Onion Lake Aggregate.
For this year’s third annual NACC, Tournier said he was excited about the show as well as trying out some new horses.
“I like this show and I hope we can keep growing it,” he said. “We still run the four wagons and do the cowboy stuff and promote the family culture. I love it here.”
As for his equine arsenal, Tournier explained he’s got lots of new horses and a new lead team.
“This is their coming out party where they’re showing us they’re an elite team you can go with,” he said. “I have a brand-new horse we used twice on right lead, and that’s unheard of to have a first-year horse leading,” he said. “I also got a horse, Superstar, he’s my son’s horse, and he was on left wheel; he’s a good horse.”
Even though the NACCs have only been running for three years, Tournier is one of many drivers who will tell you it’s one of, if not their favourite show. The Calgary Stampede may be a crowd favourite, but the Border City’s NACCs are a driver favourite.
“That’s why I’m here; the four-wagon races,” he said. “They invite me, but I don’t go to Calgary with their three wagons. I believe in four chuckwagons; this is our heritage, and we have to stick up for it.”
The CPCA tour heads to Frog Lake next week for five days of racing starting Wednesday before travelling to Poundmaker Cree Nation and Little Pine First Nation.
The CPCA returns to the Border City for this year’s finals from Aug. 16-20, brought to you by the New Lloydminster Nissan.
“I’m looking forward to it, hopefully, I can get into that dash, too,” said Tournier of the finals.
