Former Rapid View area resident Vern Nolin charges hard out of the barrels earlier this year in North Battleford.
by Phil Ambroziak
Veteran chuckwagon driver Vern Nolin knows how to make the hometown crowd happy.
The former Rapid View area resident, who now resides in Dewberry, AB, was the top driver at this past weekend’s races held in Dewberry.
“We had a good weekend,” Nolin said. “The weather was the best it could be and we were able to get three straight days of running in, which is always important to us when it comes to moving up in the standings.”
Securing a total aggregate time of 3:25.37, the three-time Canadian Champion held a 31/100ths of a second lead over his brother, Shane, heading into Day 3 of the event. Nolin went horn to finish line in 1:08.20 in the 12th heat to capture the Dewberry title for the third year in a row. Overall, he’s won the Dewberry event five times.
“I ran three different outfits on each day,” Nolin added.
He also said it was special to win the race held in the community he now considers home.
“Any time a local driver can win in front of their hometown crowd is great,” he said. “It’s nice to have so much support from your family and friends who are there to cheer you on.”
Shane Nolin had been the leader heading into Day 3 after turning in the fastest time of the night on Saturday with a run of 1:08.54. Coming off barrel number two in the 13th heat, he outurned Brian Laboucane then stretched out to a two-wagon lead before holding off a late charge by the six-time Canadian Champion.
This was the second event of the season where the end result came down between the two brothers. Shane Nolin won the first race of the season, held in North Battleford while Vern Nolin was the runner up.
“We both put a lot into it, so it’s no surprise when we’re battling for that first-place spot,” Shane Nolin added.
Vern Nolin agreed.
“It’s not the first time this has happened,” he noted. “No matter who wins, one guy is always happy for the other.”
Vern Nolin also turned in the fastest time on Day 1. Coming off barrel number two in heat 12, with BJ Carey and Jamie Laboucane on both sides, Nolin had the best start of the three then stole the rail stretching out to a two-length lead for the most part of the race finishing with a time of 1:07.90.
Rounding out the top five at Dewberry were Kris Molle in second place (3:26.61) followed by Dallas Dyck (3:26.94), Brian Laboucane (3:27.91) and BJ Carey (3:28.61).
Next weekend, the CPCA season continues with a four-day stop June 19-22 in Wainwright, AB.
