Qualifying Lessor's goal for Montana 200

By GREG SCHINDLER

The Daily Inter Lake

Kalispell's Alex Lessor can begin a new trend Saturday by winning the 16th annual Montana 200 at Montana Raceway Park.

Local drivers haven't enjoyed much of a home-track advantage at the race in recent years. Only four Montana drivers have ever won the Montana 200, the last being Marion's Ken Kaltschmidt in 2003.

Washington drivers have won six of the last seven races, including last year when Yakima's BJ Tidrick took first.

But Lessor's goal isn't to win his first Montana 200. The 25-year-old driver is a rookie in the Late Model division and he knows that simply qualifying for the race's field would be a significant accomplishment.

"I'll be satisfied with just making the show," Lessor said.

Lessor is one of nearly 40 drivers who hope to make entry into Saturday's main event by performing well in tonight's time trials and heat races. About two dozen Super Late Model drivers will race in the Montana 200 with a $35,000 purse on the line. The winner takes home $10,000 - the track's biggest payout of the season.

Lessor began racing Hobby Stocks at MRP in 1999 and raced Legends from 2003 until last year. The transition from Legends to Late Models was a big leap in Lessor's career.

"For one, the cars are a lot harder to drive," Lessor said. "Taking the horsepower, keeping it under you and not burning your tires off - that's basically the big chore."

Super Late Models reach speeds up to 95 miles per hour, even on a high-bank short track like MRP.

According to Jeff Bird, owner of Bird Racing Engines in Post Falls, Idaho, Super Late Models are fully-fabricated cars that are built with a specific purpose.

"They're built to turn left and built to race," Bird said.

Bird has attended nearly every Montana 200 and he raced in a few of them, finishing as high as second. At least three cars at this year's Montana 200 are powered by engines Bird built.

According to Bird, a used Super Late Model costs $25,000-30,000 while a new one costs up to $50,000.

Lessor is relatively new to the division, but his talent is obvious. He's raced Late Models four times this year and earned a top-10 finish each time, including a win at MRP's Late Model Challenge Series 100 on July 1.

Lessor knows the Montana 200 isn't just another race.

"I'll definitely be a lot more nervous here because, for one, we'll be wanting to try and make the show and with 40 cars plus, it's a lot tougher to make the show than against only locals."

No athlete would be successful without confidence, but no driver would be human without doubts. Despite his early success, Lessor knows he isn't a lock to make Saturday's main.

"There's doubts," Lessor said. "That's my goal, is just to make it this year, so we'll build from there."

Accomplished drivers from across the Northwest and Canada will race tonight and tomorrow. Lessor says Tom "The Sweathog" Sweatman of Cosmopolis, Wash., is a driver to watch and a potential favorite, but Lessor doesn't know most of the other drivers.

"I'd have to say there's just a handful of them that I know and that's it," Lessor said. "Other than that, the only reason I would know them is from watching for the past five or six years."

Kalispell's Bob Schweigert won the Montana 200 in 1992 and hopes to reclaim his title Saturday night. Other returning champions from Montana are Ronan's Cory Wolfe (1994) and Kalispell's Mark Owens (1995).

Returning champions from out of state are Troy Conrad from Puyallup, Wash. (1999), Tim Elliott from Creston, British Columbia (1998), Christian Roeder of Ephrata, Wash. (2004) and Sweatman - the race's only three-time champion (1997, 2000, 2002). The 2001 winner, Ron Dexter from Selah, Wash., might also race.

Other local drivers looking to capture their first Montana 200 championship are Micah Sampson, Billy Salmonsen, Kevin Goe, Bodie Morton and Agni Howell.

Lessor says there will be some comfort in racing on the track he's most familiar with, but he says local drivers don't have much of an edge over visitors because they can't hear the fans cheering like athletes can in other sports.

Lessor played baseball growing up, but he got bored of it and switched to racing because of the unique competition it offers.

"It's not like your average sports, it's more intense," Lessor said.

While Lessor has the chance to claim big money this weekend, racing isn't his full-time job.

"No, it's still a hobby," Lessor said. "I'm a fabricator."

Lessor isn't even sure that any prize money would reach his wallet.

"It would probably just go to my car owner actually," Lessor said.

But that might change one day.

"I'd love to move up and make it a career or my job," Lessor said. If the right opportunity came about I would take it and jump on."

Lessor's team is already working toward turning his hobby into a profession.

"The big goal is to travel next year," Lessor said. "We want to start traveling and going to big races like the Idaho 200. We'd like to go to that and maybe travel with that Challenge Series next year."

Lessor drives the Total Speed and Performance Motorsports No. 53 car owned by Kalispell's Eric Mitchell.

Mitchell says Lessor has been even better than he expected him to be in his first year as a Late Model driver.

"He's cool-headed under pressure," Mitchell said. "He's poised when the pressure is on."

Mitchell is confident that barring any mechanical glitches, Lessor has a great chance to qualify for the main and run a good race. He is especially optimistic because Lessor won his last time on the track.

"We kind of came into the season with modest expectations, and to go out and win a race like (the Late Model Challenge Series) is definitely a confidence booster," Mitchell said.

While racing never goes perfectly, Lessor has no complaints about his first year at MRP's elite level.

"Yeah, so far I'm meeting all my expectations, so I'm happy so far," Lessor said. "If I can just keep continuing it through the year, that would be great."

Gates open at 3 p.m. today and Saturday. Time trials begin at 7 tonight with racing at 8. The Coors Light Flathead Legends, including Kalispell's Jake Grosswiler, will also be running both nights.

Tonight's admission is $15 for adults, $12 for students 12-16 and seniors 62-and-older, and $9 for juniors. A family pass for two adults and three kids between 7 and 16 costs $40. Saturday's admission costs $20 for adults, $14 for seniors and students, $11 for juniors and $54 for a family.

Tickets for both days are available at $35 for adults, $22 for seniors and students, and $16 for juniors. Children under 6 are always admitted free. Call MRP at 257-7223 for more information.