Mitchell wins Montana 200

KALISPELL - For Shane Mitchell, the Coors Light Montana 200 has been one event sure to be on a season's racing schedule.

For many of the last 10 years the results have been less then kind when it came to standing in victory lane. Accidents, mechanical issues or late race dramatics have always played a role in an elusive first victory.

Those gremlins wre finally dispatched on Saturday night.

Mitchell started on the outside of row one and chased pole sitter Owen Riddle for the event's first 64 laps then overtook the leader exiting turn No. 2 and never looked back en route to a first career victory in the well-known race.

Riddle gave chase to Mitchell for the majority of the race but was unable to advance past his runner-up finish. Four-time defending champion Gary Lewis ran third with Brandon Riehl and 14-year old Cameron Hayley rounding out the top-5.

Early on Riddle appeared to have a car capable of staying in the lead and withstanding Mitchell and Lewis' pressure. The Naches, Wash. native could streak to a 10-car length lead on restarts and navigate traffic with ease. As the midway point of the first-half came to a close the handle on Riddle's car began to give way forcing the driver of the Horseshoe Bend Quarry Ford Fusion to leave the bottom lane open for Mitchell to tuck his nose underneath. The opening finally paid off for Mitchell.

Mitchell was overcome by emotion upon exiting his car in victory lane with his two closest competitors among the first to greet the new champion.

"We have tried to win this thing for so long," he said. "Last year I got together with Lewis at the beginning of the race and lost a chance there but this time we raced each other clean for a lot of laps and finally made something happen to get this victory."

Riddle felt he had a car capable of winning the main event but conceded that the eventual winner had the field covered.

"Shane was on a roll tonight that's for sure," he said. "I was out there riding in the lead and would look back at him and wondered if he was doing the same thing. Before you know it he came on there at the midway of the first-half and got around us and from there you could just tell it was going to be his night."

21st Annual Coors Light Montana 200 powered by Kalispell Toyota Day 2 results

A-Main Finishing Order - 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) Jonathan Gomez; 15) David 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

Last Chance Qualifying Results - 1) Emond; 2) Harding; 3) Mann; 4) Vorse; 5) Hayley; 6) Eilliott; 7) Howell; 8) Garber; 9) Mark Sundberg; 10) Braeden Havens; 11) Dave Miller; 12) Cory Wolfe; 13) Jesse Little; 14) Brian Johnson Jr.; 15) Troy Schweigert; 16) Todd Havens; 17) Giles Thornton; 18) Bill Royce; 19) Jake Bisset; 20) Shelby Thompson; 21) Junior Roddy; 22) Dan Obrist; 23) J.C. Wofford; 24) Clint Habart

Last Chance Qualifying B-Main - 1) Schweigert; 2) Vorse; 3) Wolfe; 4) T. Havens; 5) Habart; 6) Royce; 7) Jeff Little; 8) Kaltschmidt; 9) Billy Salmonsen

Switchyard Shootout Finishing Order -1) Junior Roddy; 2) Sundberg; 3) Dan Obrist; 4) Little; 5) Royce; 6) B. Havens; 7) Thornton; 8) T. Havens; 9) Ken Kaltschmidt; 10) Habart; 11) Thompson; 12) Miller; 13) Schweigert