Don’t Fuel Around, Montana Gas Prices Even for “Brawl of the Wild” Fans
We've already seen how the Brawl of the Wild game is driving up hotel and food prices for fans flocking to Bozeman for the annual Cat-Griz showdown.
A lot of that has been driven by the additional hype generated when ESPN decided to make the annual rivalry match its College Game Day broadcast on Saturday.
While you might have to shell out more when you're in Bozeman this weekend, it doesn't mean you have to pay higher prices at the fuel pump, depending on your power preference.
According to GasBuddy.com, Missoula's best price for regular fuel right now is about $3.79 a gallon for regular fuel. That's just slightly above the Montana average of $3.78 a gallon.
Missoula and Bozeman gas costs the same
And the figures on Friday didn't show any unusual spike in gas prices in Bozeman itself, with several stations selling at the same price as Missoula, $3.79 to $3.84 a gallon, according to GasBuddy's tracking.
Rocker, the de facto gas stop for many Missoulians heading east on I-90 is also showing that same regular gallon of fuel at $3.79 a gallon. The same in Deer Lodge and Whitehall, at $3.78 a gallon.
Surprisingly, that's even the price you find at the Three Forks exit, and the $3.79 in Belgrade shows how flat fuel prices are right now.
It's a different story for diesel drivers
Where the pump price will pound you is you're driving diesel to the game, with prices for your trucks and whatnot still running far ahead of regular gas. GasBuddy shows prices for diesel in Missoula around $5.34 a gallon. A Rocker stop can save you a few bucks, especially with a larger tank you can fill for about $5.29 a gallon. In fact, the further east you go the better the bargains according to GasBuddy's figures. With some stations selling as low as $5.19 a gallon for the thick stuff.
So, if this is a scoreboard, I guess that means Missoula wins because our prices are higher? Or is Bozeman trying to entice Griz fans to fill up before they come home so they win the money game?
The pre-game plot thickens.