Fastest of the fast: Peltier races to Montana 200 pole
Owen Riddle was fast again, but not fast enough.
The 31-year-old super late model driver from Naches, Washington, was one of five drivers to break the 13-second barrier during qualifying Friday night for today’s 27th annual Coors Light Montana 200 auto race at Montana Raceway Park.
His time of 12.895 seconds bettered his pole-setting performance from last year when he was clocked in at 12.918.
However this time, his effort was only second best.
Top honors went to Preston Peltier of Fort Lupton, Colorado. He checked in with a 12.868 lap time to nail down the pole position for the 200-lap main event.
Shane Mitchell of East Wenatchee, Washington, was third, 12.908, Alex Lessor of Kalispell was fourth, 12.936, and Taylor Riddle of Naches, Washington, was fifth, 12.940.
Only three of 28 drivers in qualifying last year broke 13 seconds.
Lessor was the second car out during qualifying and held the fast time until Peltier followed four cars later and broke it.
Peltier’s first qualifying lap time was a speedy 12.964.
Last year he was 15th in the qualifying at 13.167.
“Horrible in qualifying, but we raced good,” he said of his first trip to MRP in 2016 for the 200.
Peltier finished 14th in the main event.
“Hopefully we’ll step up and come out of here unscathed,” Peltier said for the weekend.
“That’s the plan right now.”
Peltier is enjoying a banner season after “everything” that could go wrong, went wrong last year.
“Everything is good (right now),” he said.
He’s finished first four times in nine races and hopes to make it five out of 10 tonight.
“It wasn’t bad,” he said of his qualifying laps.
“It (car) was a little free, loose.”
It’s good to go for the big show, he said. No adjustments are needed.
He said he will need “patience and luck” to take home the checkers in the finale, along with the winner’s check of $15,000.
“We’ve had some good seasons in the past, but this one is starting out pretty strong,” Peltier said.
Unlike previous years when the main event was limited to 25 cars, this year’s race will have all 18 entrants in the final. It would have been 19, but defending champion Jeremy Doss of Upper Lake, California, blew an engine during a Friday morning practice session.
Peltier and Riddle will start 1-2 on the pole for the main, which is scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m.
The other 16 drivers drove in heat races Friday night to pick up points to secure the other starting position spots for the 200.
Riddle, who won the 200 in 2015, finished 17th last year.
Other defending champions back are Mitchell (2011); Garrett Evans (2014) of East Wenatchee, Washington; and Christian Roeder (2004) of Ephrata, Washington.
The opening ceremony tonight is set for 7. A 40-lap main event for Hobby Stocks will precede the Montana 200.
27th annual Coors Light Montana 200
Friday Night Qualifying
Super Late Models
Montana Raceway Park
Time
1. Preston Peltier, Fort Lupton, Colo. 12.868
2. Owen Riddle, Naches, Wash., 12.895
3. Shane Mitchell, East Wenatchee, Wash. 12.908
4. Alex Lessor, Kalispell 12.936
5. Taylor Riddle, Naches, Wash. 12.940
6. Jason Jefferson, Naches, Wash. 13.049
7. Garrett Evans, East Wenatchee, Wash. 13.049
8. Joey Bird, Spokane, Wash. 13.051
9. Nicole Behar, Otis Orchards, Wash. 13.131
10. Clint Habart, Cranbrook, B.C. 13.159
11. Agni Howell, Kalispell 13.164
12. Ryan Wells, Hingham 13.210
13. Brock Denney, Columbia Falls 13.212
14. John Newhouse, Twin Falls, Idaho 13.271
15. Don Staggs, Kalispell 13.281
16. Mitch Kleyn, Quincy, Wash. 13.288
17. Christian Roeder, Ephrata, Wash. 13.296
18. Mike Koegh, Missoula 13.605
Track Record — Shane Mitchell, East Wenatchee, Wash., 12.866, June 17, 2017