High River’s Jason Glass capped off another strong Calgary Stampede with a second-place finish in the championship final of the 2026 Rangeland Derby on Sunday night.
Glass stopped the clock in 1:12.21 in the winner-take-all championship heat, finishing behind Jamie Laboucane, whose 1:10.12 run secured the Calgary Stampede title. Defending champion Chanse Vigen crossed the finish line ahead of Glass but was assessed a penalty after knocking over a barrel, dropping him to third.
The championship final featured a rematch of last year’s showdown, marking the first time in Rangeland Derby history that the same three drivers qualified for the championship heat in consecutive years.
Jason Glass of High River competes in the championship final of the Calgary Stampede Rangeland Derby on Sunday at Stampede Park. OkotoksOnline/Jayden Steidl
Glass earned his place in the final after finishing third in the nine-day aggregate standings with an aggregate time of 10:52.11. Laboucane entered Championship Sunday as the top qualifier, while Vigen qualified second.
A fourth-generation chuckwagon driver from the Glass family, he entered this year’s Stampede as a two-time Calgary Stampede champion and four-time World Champion. He also finished as the WPCA Reserve World Champion in 2025.
Sunday’s championship final came just weeks after the death of Glass’s father, legendary chuckwagon driver Tom Glass.
The High River native died at age 77 after suffering a stroke in late June. Tom Glass was one of the sport’s most accomplished drivers and a longtime fixture in chuckwagon racing.
Although he fell short of claiming a third Calgary Stampede championship, Jason Glass continued the Glass family’s chuckwagon legacy, racing in the championship final for a second straight year behind the family’s signature checkerboard wagon.
High River’s Jason Glass, right, rides with his son Bodie before the championship final of the Calgary Stampede Rangeland Derby on Sunday. Glass, a fourth-generation chuckwagon driver, finished third overall. OkotoksOnline/Jayden Steidl