Driver Profile: Lester “Bud” Peters

By Tom Carnegie

Bud Peters of Ledger, MT. first entered the Montana 500 in 1963 and didn’t miss many times after that. He ran every year from 1963 through 1994. 1998 was the last time Bud entered. In 1981 Bud got his first top five finish and finished in the top five most years after that. Bud won his first time in 1982. Between then and 1993, Bud won four more times, making him the only five time winner of the open division.

Bud spent most of his life in the Ledger area. During WWII, Bud was in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. After his discharge he started working on farms around the Ledger area. When his parents retired, Bud began farming the Peter’s farm. I visited Bud this summer and one of the things he showed me was his first grain storage shed, which he hand made by nailing two-by-fours one on top of the other to make solid four-inch thick walls. There were now several metal storage bins to replace the hand made one. The hand made one was full of T parts (of course)

Most people who knew Bud knew him as a fun and funny, witty man. He also was a musician. He told me that he liked to go to the retirement home and play his accordion for his friend Dave Ratzburg. Bud had a huge impact on the Montana 500 and many of the policies and rules are the direct or indirect result of his input.

This March, Bud passed away. He will be missed very much by all of his friends.