The Montana 200, which is celebrating its 22nd season this weekend at Montana Raceway Park, is a must-run event for super late model drivers from all over the Pacific Northwest and western Canada.

“This is our Daytona 500,” last year’s winner Shane Mitchell said.

“If you can shine here, it’s a good weekend.

Mitchell’s thrilling victory last July snapped a record four straight Montana 200 victories for Gary Lewis of Snohomish, Wash.

“Lots of luck,” Mitchell said of his 200 win in his Chevrolet in 2011.

“Everything went my way last year. We didn’t put a mark on the car.”

The East Wenatchee, Wash., driver and his bright orange and yellow super late model started the race on the outside of the front row.

“No,” he said of having added pressure on him this year.

“All the competition here ... that’s what I like to see ... 40 to 50 cars at this race track. I just want to be competive.”

Mitchell’s best guess is that he has raced in 17 200s.

“I was 15,” he said of racing at MRP for the first time.

“I raced my first open-wheel modifieds.”

His father Ted raced Northwest Modifieds at the quarter-mile, high-banked overall.

“Just nice people,” Mitchell said.

“These people know how to put a good race on. They have all the p’s and q’s. It always goes smoothly.

“And ... good competition,” he said.

“That’s what it’s all about.”

Mitchell will be driving the same car tonight and Saturday that he won in last year. It’s also the first time he’s raced this car this season.

“Not bad,” he said of how it handled after 15 practice laps Thursday.

And he turned those laps on some old tires.

“The car was so phenomenal for the whole race,” he said of last year’s race. “We didn’t make any changes at the halfway break.”

He’s hoping for the same results again.

Lewis, who finished third, returns as do four other Montana 200 winners — Jeff Jefferson (2006) of Naches, Wash.; BJ Tidrick (2005) of Yakima, Wash.; Corey Wolf (1994) of Ronan; and Tim Elliot (1996) of Creston, British Columbia. All total, 45 drivers will be competing for nearly $50,000 in prize money. The Saturday night winner nets $15,000.

The pits open today at 9 a.m. with practice runs from noon-5 p.m. Gates pen for spectators at 3.

The qualifying will start at 7 with opening ceremonies a hour later. 

The top 14 qualifiers will run a 25-lap positioning main. The top five finishers in a 40-lap consolation main will also be locked into the 200. 

Opening ceremonies on Saturday are set for 7 p.m. A 40-lap Last Chance Qualifier will determine the final seven positions for the 26 car main field. 

2012 Montana 200 Field

Car Number, Driver, Town

05 Eric Schmidt – Roseville, Calif.; 1 Agni Howell – Kalispell; 1k Mitch Kehl – Quincy, Wash; 6 Chris Skelton – Calgary, Alberta; 7 Mark Sundberg – Seattle; 09 Clint Habart – Cranbrook, British Columbia; 10 Owen Riddle – Naches, Wash; 11 Chad Clampitt – Glasgow; 12 Giles Thornton – Whitefish; 12o Dan Obrist – Portland; 14 Don Staggs – Marion; 14t Shelby Thompson – Spokane; 16 Blake Williams – Spokane; 17 Trevor Emond —  Leduc, Alberta; 20 Todd Havens – Spokane; 22 Jonathon Gomez —  Twin Falls, Idaho; 24 Cameron Hayley – Calgary, Alberta; 25 Kirk Hennefer – Missoula; 27 Tim Elliott – Creston, British Columbia; 31 Jason Fraser – Snohomish, Wash; 36 Wrango West – Kalispell; 37 Mike Longton – Yakima, Wash.; 38 Grant Brown – Calgary, Alberta; 42 Jeff Jefferson – Naches, Wash; 49 Brian Levant – Calgary, Alberta; 51 Erick Hargraves – Yakima, Wash; 53 Alex Lessor – Kalispell; 54 Joe Farre – Las Vegas; 55 Billy Salmonsen — Kalispell; 64 Garret Evans – Wenatchee, Wash; 67 Tim Johnson – Calgary, Alberta; 72 BJ Tidrick – Yakima, Wash; 73 Gary Lewis – Snohomish, Wash; 75 Troy Schweigert – Kalispell; 76 Brian Johnson Jr. —  Machesaey Park, Ill.; 77 Bodie Morton – Kalispell; 77v Greg Vangool – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; 83 Braedon Havens – Spokane; 88 Corey Wolfe – Ronan; 93 David Garber – Spokane; 97 Jason Jefferson – Naches, Wash.; 99 Shane Mitchell – Orondo, Wash; 100 JC Wofford – Yakima, Wash; (Number NA) Justin Drake – Pablo.

2011 Montana 200 Results

1. Shane Mitchell; 2. Owen Riddle; 3. Gary Lewis; 4. Brandon Riehl; 5. Cameron Hayley; 6. Jason Fraser; 7. Jared Vorse; 8. Ryan Wells; 9. Jeff Jefferson; 10. Chris Eggelston; 11. Kelly Mann; 12. Jason Jefferson; 13. Eric Schmidt; 14. Jonathon Gomez; 15. Dave Garber; 16. Bodie Morton; 17. Trevor Emond; 18. Agni Howell; 19. Alex Lessor; 20. Mark Owens; 21. Mike Longton; 22. Blake Williams; 23. Tim Elliott; 24. Chris Skelton; 25. Brian Levant; 26. Pete Harding.