Canadian Professional Chuckwagon Association (CPCA) driver Colby “The Cobra” Stanley captured his second consecutive CPCA title, making history on Sunday by securing back-to-back championships in front of a hometown crowd at Onion Lake Cree Nation.
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The victory marked a milestone finish for the CPCA’s inaugural finals hosted at Onion Lake, an expansion that officials and fans considered a resounding success.
“Yeah, well, it’s unreal,” Stanley said after stepping out of the wagon box with a cheque for $25K. “Just having it at home here and all my friends and family to be able to be here and support me — I mean, there’s no better feeling, you know? I’d always dreamt of this moment. And to see it come so quick, it’s just an unbelievable feeling.”
CPCA title. Taylor Weaver – Meridian Source
Though Stanley considers Meadow Lake home, the Onion Lake track holds significant personal importance.
“Meadow Lake’s home for me, but I grew up here,” Stanley said. “This is my reserve and I have a lot of pride in what we do here.”
The host site held extra weight for Stanley, who admitted he never expected to see championship Sunday held on home soil so early in his career.
“Like I said, it was always a dream, right? I mean, it didn’t look like it would happen anytime soon, just having the finals elsewhere and whatnot,” he said. “To have a great big show here in the facility we have and to take it like this — the first one ever, to boot — it’s pretty surreal.”
Stanley’s journey back to the championship box was far from smooth. Facing barn injuries throughout the season, he relied on fellow competitor Phil Arcand to stay in contention.
“I had a lot of tough trouble this season, right? It was a roller coaster ride for me, and I had a lot of injuries in the barn,” Stanley explained. “So I actually borrowed a couple of horses from my buddy, Phil Arcand. He’s a guy like that — he steps in and helps you when you need it, and he knows I would do the same for him. So we’re gonna make sure that he gets taken care of a little bit as well.”
The final heat proved to be a tight battle, but Stanley said the race played out precise to plan.
“It went exactly the way I pictured it,” he said. “I try to visualize how the race is gonna go and, you know, it worked out exactly the way I did. When it goes like that, you just can’t be happier. It’s a dream come true here right now.”
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