LAS VEGAS — There’s a Hurricane headed straight for the Bitnile.com Open Wheel Showdown Presented by askROI Nov. 6-8 at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Jeff “The Hurricane” Montgomery. Montgomery will be one of over 70 pre-entered winged sprint car drivers hoping to stake claim to $50,000 with a win in the prestigious event
Montgomery, who hails from Langford Station, British Columbia, is one of a handful of Canadian drivers expected to compete in this year’s event. Montgomery has so far made the A-Main in both times he has competed in the OWS.
As Montgomery returns to this year’s race, he does so with confidence. He is fresh off the 2025 Northwest Sprint Tour championship. In addition, he picked up a win with the series at Penticton, B.C., June 7 and set two track records throughout the season.
The 55-year-old Canadian might be a dark horse in this year’s race, but also someone to watch closely. In 2023 he started on the front row before getting caught up in an early race misfortune. Last year he was running inside the top 10 before he had a tire go low as he was steadily moving through the field to earn the “Hard Charger” Award.
“Last year I got a flat tire in my heat race and had to run the C,” recalled Montgomery. “I came through the C and B to get into the A and started last (25). At one point I got up to seventh or eighth and had a left front tire going down. I fell back to 11th. We had some bad luck, but you can’t control that stuff, right? I think we had a car capable of maybe getting inside the top five last year.
“We’ve had some bad luck the past two years there. If we could run in the top five this year, I’d be happy, but I’d like to win it. These guys are the best of the best. There are so many guys capable of winning. You need a bit of luck and some things to fall your way. But I feel like we have a top-five car this year.
“I really like the Open Wheel Showdown. It’s pretty cool what Davey Hamilton Jr. has done,” Montgomery noted. “It’s close to home and everyone from Canada can come down to watch. It’s really hyped up as well. We have a car capable of running up front so that makes everything a bit more enjoyable.
“I got a good team and car owner in Rob Leighton. He believes in me and gives me everything I need. It’s a long race. You gotta save your equipment the first 50 laps and save your stuff until the end. If we can do that, and get some good luck, we should be there at the end.”
