Countdown: Montana

The Treasure State, smack in the Big Sky country, is the fourth largest state in the country, in terms of area, but with less than a million residents, boasts of very low population density.

The Bitteroot and Rocky mountains form the western boundary of the state, but most of Montana is prairie. Lewis and Clark were the first Europeans to explore Montana. George Custer took his last breath there. There are still seven Native American indian reservations in Montana, the most of any state.

Dana Carvey, Gary Cooper, Myrna Loy and Martha Raye have Montana roots, along with filmaker David Lynch. However, neither Joe Montana or Patsy Montana were.

George Winston released an album called "Montana: A Love Song," while John Denver sang about "Wild Montana Skies."

Montana's connection to NASCAR is fleeting, at best, but it was a winning one.

Best behind the wheel

• Chuck Stevenson, Sidney

Inside the Numbers Chuck Stevenson's Cup career Starts 2 Wins 1 Top-5s 1 Top-10s 1 Poles 0 Laps Led 54 Avg. Start 8.5 Avg. Finish 15.5 Earnings $1,630

Known more for his open-wheel exploits, Chuck Stevenson only ran in two NASCAR races -- but he won one of them.

Stevenson made nine starts in the Indianapolis 500, starting in 1951. The next season, he won the AAA national championship -- and competed in the famed Carrera Panamericana road race in Mexico, driving a Lincoln to victory in the stock car division. He repeated that feat again the following year.

Stevenson had apparently retired from open-wheel racing after the 1954 season, but drove one of Pete DePaolo's Fords at the big dirt oval at Lehi in October of 1955, finishing 30th when the car suffered vapor lock.

His only other NASCAR appearance came a month later, when the series visited Willow Springs Raceway in the high desert of California. The 2.5-mile road course had not yet been paved, so the race was contested on the dirt base, with oil added to keep the dust down.

Driving a Ford for Carl Dane, Stevenson started second and led 54 of the 80 laps to edge Marvin Panch to take home the first-place check worth $1,570.

Stevenson returned to Indianapolis in 1960 and ran five more 500s, with a best finish of sixth in 1961. He retired before the 1968 Indianapolis 500.

Stevenson died in 1995.

We wish ...

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Robert Craig "Evel" Knievel had become a NASCAR driver.

The Butte daredevil made a few successful motorcycle jumps during his career -- and a lot of unsuccessful ones, which resulted in numerous broken bones and hospital stays. One of his most outrageous stunts was attempting to cross Idaho's Snake River Canyon on a rocket-powered motorcycle.

Keeping it on track

Montana has never hosted a NASCAR race, although there are at least two paved ovals that run weekly programs: Mission Valley Speedway in Polson and Montana Raceway Park in Kalispell.

Until 1999, the daylight speed limit on Interstate 90 in Montana was "reasonable and prudent," which gave the highway the nickname of America's Autobahn, with many vehicles exceeding 100 mph. It is now 75 mph.

A word from our sponsor

• Dynojet Research, Belgrade

Established in 1972, Dynojet Research develops after-market performance prouducts and diagnostic tools for the motorcycle and automotive industries, including chassis dynamometers, carburetor recalibration kits and fuel injection enhancement systems.