World Financial Group

The 2009 World Professional Chuckwagon Association has only just begun, but regardless of how the season ends, WFG-sponsored chuckwagon driver, Buddy Bensmiller, will end the season a winner. 

Come this September, Buddy will become only the second Canadian inducted into the Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame.  The CFD, the world’s largest outdoor rodeo & western celebration, has been an annual event since 1897.  Before Buddy joined the WPCA, he participated in the Northern Professional Chuckwagon Association, which featured the Cheyenne rodeo.  Buddy competed at Cheyenne 15 times between 1981 and 1995, winning the event outright nine times. 

More information on this prestigious honor can be found on the WPCA website as well as the CFD site.  A big congratulations to Buddy from your friends at World Financial Group!

The 2009 World Professional Chuckwagon Association season began this past weekend in Grand Prairie, AB.  Among the drivers taking their chuckwagons on that half-mile of “heck” is World Financial Group-sponsored Buddy Bensmiller.  In fact, all of the Bensmiller family raced at the 2009 Grand Prairie Stompede.  Buddy’s draw for most of the Stompede included Kelly Sutherland, Jerry Bremner and last year’s world champ Jason Glass.   

Day one didn’t go so well for the man racing the WFG tarp on his wagon.  Buddy had a fast start but finished fourth with a time of 1:23.69.  Buddy was also assessed a five-second penalty for his wagon knocking a barrel at the start of the heat.  As a result, he only earned six aggregate points for the day. 

The following day went fairly well for Buddy and his team.  He faced the same four drivers and, despite a fourth place finish, finished with a time of 1:18.01 with no penalties.  This was good for 12 aggregate points.  Day three was better than the first two as Buddy finished third with a time of 1:18.74 and earned another 12 points in the standings. 

On day four, however, the World Financial Group wagon crossed the finish line first.  Buddy’s time of 1:16.66 was followed by the rest of the field with times of 1:16.89 and 1:16.97, a virtual photo finish.  Buddy’s racing earned him 38 points. 

The final day of racing saw a change of pace and grouping for Buddy.  He raced the WFG tarp in the third heat opposite Luke Tounier, Shane Cartier and his own son, Dave.  In this last race in Grand Prairie, Buddy finished fourth with a time of 1:18.1.  However, his ride was clear of penalties, which bumped him to third place with 17 points. 

At the end of the Grand Prairie Stompede, Buddy finished 24^th in the aggregate standings with a total time of 6:35.2 and 85 points in the standings. Next up on the WPCA circuit is the Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede, and videos of all the races, including Buddy racing the WFG tarp, can be seen at the WPCA official website. We’ll keep you up-to-date on the latest news and results on Buddy and his team right here on WFGSports.com.