Lessor, Riehl Win Qualifying Heats for 33rd Montana 200 at Mission Valley

The festivities began on Friday for the 33rd Montana 200 at Mission Valley Super Oval, with qualifying for the Northwest Super Late Model Series teams.

Following single-car qualifying, a pair of 30-lap heat races determined the first 10 rows for Saturday's 200-lap feature event.

WATCH THE MONTANA 200 ON RACINGAMERICA.TV

In the 'even' heat race, Zach Riehl took the lead at the halfway mark and stretched out nearly a five-second advantage to take the win. Corey Allard finished second, followed by Shelby Thompson and Jason Jefferson.

The even heat proved particularly frustrating for Jason Robinson. Robinson spun while in a battle for the third position with Jason Jefferson, falling to the rear of the field. He worked his way back to the eighth position before pulling off the track four laps shy of the finish.

The odd heat race went to the fast qualifier on the evening, Alex Lessor. Lessor led the first 16 laps of the race, then battled for the lead with Ashton Cristiani before pulling back out front. Garrett Sawyer finished second, but was disqualified following technical inspection. This promoted Ashton Cristiani to second, Agni Howell to third and Dave Garber to fourth.

The top 10 finishers in each heat race secured their spots in the field for Saturday's Montana 200. The top four finishers in each heat will be part of a redraw to determine the first four rows of the starting lineup. The Odd Heat competitors for the first, third, fifth and seventh position on the starting grid, while Even Heat competitors will be drawing for positions two, four, six and eight.

Racing begins at 5 p.m. MT/7 p.m. ET Saturday night at Mission Valley. Fans can watch the Montana 200 live on RacingAmerica.TV.

-Photo credit: Shari Garber, Northwest Super Late Model Series

Montana 200 Qualifying

Even Heat Results

Odd Heat Results

Time Trial Results