Cannon McIntosh Stuns with USAC Shamrock Classic Triumph!
Lonnie Wheatley, DU QUOIN, Ill. (March 9, 2019) – Not only did 16-year-old Cannon McIntosh of Bixby, OK, stun the USAC Midget world by winning Saturday night’s 50-lap Shamrock Classic at the Southern Illinois Center, he also stunned himself.
“I can’t believe it,” McIntosh said upon climbing out of the Dave Mac Motorsports Toyota-TRD Spike No. 08 Midget in victory lane. It was the first career USAC National Midget score for McIntosh in just his second series start.
And it was a night that began in inauspicious fashion with the car ablaze in hot laps, leaving the young gun slightly blistered and scrambling to find a backup driving suit.
The setback did little to slow him down, as he methodically worked from seventh to third in his heat race and then raced from fifth to second in his qualifying race to earn the pole position for the $4,000-to-win main event.
But a win from the pole didn’t come that easy, as he had to contend with the best that the NOS Energy Drink USAC Midget world could offer up in the form of reigning series champion Logan Seavey.
McIntosh broke out of the gates quickly, only to surrender the point to Seavey before the 20-lap mark of the race. McIntosh continued to search around the 1/6-mile clay oval though and found what he liked on the low side, surging back around Seavey for the lead after a lap 31 restart.
McIntosh held steady out front the rest of the way, weathering a couple of cautions and then shifting to the top side of turns one and two over the final ten rounds to secure the victory before a packed house inside the Southern Illinois Center.
“I never would have thought we would be here right now, this is awesome,” McIntosh exclaimed in victory lane. “When Logan got around me, I didn’t know if we had a shot or not. We had that restart and I went to the bottom and it stuck. We got around him and I figured if we could pace ourselves, we could get it done.”
The triumph came after the young gun served notice at January’s Chili Bowl Nationals with a top-five preliminary night finish and sets the stage for a run at the 2019 POWRi National Midget championship along with a select slate of USAC National Midget events.
Along with Toyota-TRD, other marketing partners making the 2019 slate of events possible includes Sanders and Associates, Car and Fleet, Mobil 1, Speedway Engine Development, Best Graphics, Fieldhouse Gear, Precision Inspection, Panels by Smoke, Walker Performance, Sanders Wheels, American Discount Brake and Muffler, D&N Fabrication, Darling Ingredients, PJ’s and Hinds Family.
2019 Quick Stats: 3 races, 1 win, 2 top-fives, 2 top-tens.
Up Next: Lucas Oil POWRi National Midget “Turnpike Challenge” on March 21-24 at Creek County Speedway in Sapulpa (March 21), I-44 Riverside Speedway in Oklahoma City (March 22-23) and Port City Raceway (March 24).
Keep Track: Keep track of Cannon McIntosh’s on-track action including schedule and results at https://www.facebook.com/cmacracing/.
If you would like Cannon McIntosh Racing press releases e-mailed directly to you, send your e-mail address to Lonnie Wheatley at lonniewheatley@gmail.com.
