Veteran super late model driver Bodie Morton of Kalispell says he feels a little snakebit this season.

“It’s been one of those years,” he said Thursday afternoon during a practice session for the 23rd annual Montana 200 at Montana Raceway Park.

“You go through (your car) from front to back and there is nothing you can do.”

The “nothing you can do” deals with car troubles.

“Stupid mechanical stuff,” Morton said.

Like a broken hub, which knocked him out of one race at MRP this season.

In another, Morton muscled his way to a fifth-place finish at the Canadian/American Shoot-out 125 in late June despite not having power steering for the final 115 laps.

And if that wasn’t enough, he’s on his second engine.

So all in all, “it’s been pretty frustrating,” he said.

He can also use that same word — “frustrating” — to sum up his last three showings in the Montana 200.

“Did not finish,” he said.

The culprit ...

“Wrecks.”

Winning the Montana 200 Saturday night, however, would change everything.

“I’m hoping this weekend will turn my season around,” he said.

“If I won this race, I’ll be doing cartwheels in the infield.

“It would mean everything,” he said.

“I have been the late model points champ (here) and have won a few main events. This is our big local race. For us local guys to win, it would be huge.”

Only one Kalispell driver has won the Montana 200. That honor belongs to Bob Schweigert back in 1992.

Besides Morton, Kalispell will have five more drivers competing for that elusive $15,000 first-place check this weekend from a purse of more than $50,000. They are: Agni Howell, Giles Thornton, Brandon Sickler, Alex Lessor, and Troy Schweigert.

Don Staggs of Marion and 1994 Montana 200 winner Cory Wolfe of Ronan round out the in-state entrants.

Drivers from Washington have dominated the action on the high-banked, quarter-mile oval. They have won the last nine — four in a row by Gary Lewis of Snohomish from 2007-10 — and 16 overall.

Ken Kaltschmidt of Marion was the last Montana driver to win the Montana 200 in 2003. The other in-state winner is Mark Owens of Libby in 1995.

Jeff Jefferson of Naches, Wash., took the checkered flag last year to became the fourth driver to win the Montana 200 at least twice. He won it for the first time in 2006.

Tom Sweatman of Cosmopolis, Wash., is a three-time champion (2002, 2000 and 1997) and Mark Groskreutz of Spokane won it twice (1993 and 1996).

“A lot of it is luck,” Morton said.

“Two years ago I had the fastest car.”

In that Montana 200 race, he moved from 19th to fourth, but was sent to the back of the field after a spinout in front of him.

He moved back into contention again after a restart, but a bump with another car pushed his front bumper into his tire. A cut tire with six laps to go ended that night.

“We can all drive,” Morton said of the late model drivers.

“The biggest thing is getting the car set up so we can drive the car to its potential.”

That’s what many of the out-of-state drivers did Thursday during a practice session at MRP. Morton, on the other hand, spent the afternoon looking ahead.

“We kind of know what were going to be going with,” he said.

“What the setup will be, what will be working overall.

“The track changes so much (from Thursday to Friday). They will be laying too much rubber down ... shaking the car down.”

Qualifying for the Montana 200 begins tonight at 7. The fastest 14 drivers move on to Saturday’s main event — which is 200 laps.

The top five finishers from the 40 lap B-main Friday will also move on to the 200.

The final five Montana 200 entrants will be determined Saturday with a 40 lap last chance qualifier before the main event.

Opening ceremonies on Saturday are set for 6 p.m.

MRP will offer a live audio and scoring feed on the Tracks Website both nights.

23rd annual Montana 200

Super Late Model Entries as of 4 p.m. Thursday

List Supplied by Montana Raceway Park

Eric Schmidt (05), Roseville, Calif.

Zach Moran (05), Kennewick, Wash.

Clint Habart (09), Cranbrook, B.C.

Mitch Kleyn (1). Quincy, Wash.

Mark Sunberg (7), Seattle

Owen Riddle (10), Naches, Wash.

Tayler Riddle (15), Naches, Wash.

Daniel Obrist (12), Portland

Blake Williams (16), Spokane

Trevor Emond (17), Leduc, Alberta

Jay Sauls (70), Puyallup, Wash.

Jonathan Gomez (22), Twin Falls, Idaho

Brandon Sickler (23), Kalispell

Cameron Hayley (24), Calgary, Alberta

Tim Elliott (27), Creston, B.C.

Jason Fraser (31), Snohomish, Wash.

Mike Longton (37), Moxee, Wash.

Grant Brown (38), Red Deer, Alberta

Lucas Valdez (38v), Kennewick, Wash.

Jeff Jefferson (42), Naches, Wash.

Shane Mitchell (99), Orondo, Wash.

Mike Obrist (54), Portland

Alex Lessor (53), Kalispell

Gary Lewis (73), Snohomish, Wash.

Troy Schweigert (75), Kalispell

Braeden Haven (83), Spokane

Cory Wolfe (88), Ronan

Bodie Morton (77), Kalispell

Greg VanGool (77), Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Garrett Evans (64), East Wenatchee, Wash.

Agni Howell (1A), Kalispell

Brian Johnson Jr. (76), Machesney Park, Ill.

Giles Thornton (12), Kalispell

Joey Bird (24j), Spokane

—————

Main Event (200 laps) Purse

Saturday Night

1. $15,000; 2. $5,000; 3. $2,500; 4. $1,500; 5. $1,250.

6.-24. $1,000.

—————

Montana 200 Past Champions

2012 — Jeff Jefferson, Naches, Wash.

2011 — Shane Mitchell, East Wenatchee, Wash.

2010 — Gary Lewis, Snohomish, Wash.

2009 — Gary Lewis, Snohomish, Wash.

2008 — Gary Lewis, Snohomish, Wash.

2007 — Gary Lewis, Snohomish, Wash.

2006 — Jeff Jefferson, Naches, Wash.

2005 — B.J. Tidrick, Yakima, Wash.

2004 — Christian Roeder, Ephrata, Wash.

2003 — Ken Kaltschmidt, Marion

2002 — Tom Sweatman, Cosmopolis, Wash.

2001 — Ron Dexter, Selah, Wash.

2000 — Tom Sweatman, Cosmopolis, Wash.

1999 — Troy Conrad, Puyallup, Wash.

1998 — Tim Elliott, Creston, B.C.

1997 — Tom Sweatman, Cosmopolis, Wash.

1996 — Mark Groskreutz, Spokane, Wash.

1995 — Mark Owens, Libby

1994 — Cory Wolfe, Ronan

1993 — Mark Groskreutz, Spokane

1992 — Bob Schweigert, Kalispell

1991 — Lance Wade, Victoria, B.C.