Cannon McIntosh (Bixby, Okla.) scored a dramatic $20,039 USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship victory during Sunday night’s Driven2SaveLives BC39 Presented By Avanti Windows & Doors at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. (Rich Forman Photo)
By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
Speedway, Indiana (September 29, 2024)………After finishing as the runner-up on three different occasions in his USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship career at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Cannon McIntosh found himself at the right place, at the right time in the right moment for a breakthrough during Sunday night’s sixth running of the Driven2SaveLives BC39 Presented By Avanti Windows & Doors.
In 2022, McIntosh (Bixby, Okla.) finished as the runner-up and was leading just five laps from the finish line before being passed by Buddy Kofoid. Furthermore, in both 2023 and just this past Thursday, he came home a close second during prelim feature nights with victory just barely eluding his grasp.
McIntosh seized the moment on Sunday night when he took advantage of a bouncing Chase McDermand through turns three and four as the front runners arrived at the white flag. McIntosh swung to the outside, nipped McDermand at the line to lead lap 38 before McDermand slid him back in turn one. McIntosh cut back under McDermand in turns one and two on the final lap to secure the top spot, the thrill of victory, a place in the history books and a $20,039 prize.
With his efforts, McIntosh became the sixth different BC39 winner in as many races while also becoming the driver who led the least amount of laps en route to victory in the history of the event – two – in his Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports/GearWrench – Mobil 1 – TRD/LynK/Speedway Toyota.
McIntosh’s 0.191 second margin of victory is the closest in BC39 history, but he’s been used to close calls at the 1/5-mile dirt oval over the years. This time around, however, he was finally the one who prevailed.
“We’ve been so close to winning here, even on prelim nights, and we just hadn’t gotten it done,” McIntosh remarked. “I don’t think I’ve ever been that excited crossing the line. I think this is definitely number one. To be able to win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and to put my name in the history books, is pretty special. I’m so thankful to do this in honor of Bryan (Clauson) who was a legend in this sport and a hero. To do this in his name with (Bryan’s father) Tim (Clauson) here, it’s a really cool feeling to be able to do this, and I’m just so grateful to be able to race here.”
The sixth starting McIntosh lay in wait throughout much of the 39-lap distance as he ran fifth as late as nine laps to go. Outside front row starter Daison Pursley set the pace for the first two circuits before pole sitter and Thursday night BC39 prelim feature winner Chase McDermand flexed his muscles by surging to the front on the low line of turn three and remained there for much of the night.
For the majority of the race, it appeared all the breaks were going McDermand’s way. Each time he came close to approaching lapped traffic, the caution was displayed for an incident, first on lap 18 and then again on the 31st circuit.
In that same timeframe, fifth-starting Jade Avedisian came to life on the top side after falling back to eighth early in the going. Shortly after reaching the top-five on lap 20, she collided with defending BC39 winner Justin Grant in turns one and two, which sent Grant tumbling over and also collected Jacob Denney (8th). Avedisian continued on while Grant restarted at the tail and Denney went to the sideline for the remainder of the night.
All eyes were now on Avedisian as she threaded the needle between Kale Drake and McIntosh on lap 28 to go from fifth to third. With nine to go, Avedisian and her KKM teammate, Drake, met wheel to wheel in the battle for third. Drake took the brunt of the misfortune as his left rear tire went flat moments later, sending him coasting to a stop after nearly flipping over in turn three. Drake was relegated to 18th at the finish, but still earned the Max Papis Innovations BC39 Rookie of the Race, scoring a custom designed trophy and $700 for his efforts.
With just eight laps to go and a clear track ahead of him, McDermand seemed destined for the big payday. But Avedisian as well as McIntosh had their say in the matter. One lap after the ensuing restart on the 32nd go around, Avedisian charged past Pursley for second on the back straight, then pulled even to the outside of McDermand in turn two and appeared poised to race her way into the lead. However, just as that was happening, Shane Cottle (9th) spun to a stop in turn four, meaning that the running order reverted back to the last completed lap, thus relegating Avedisian back to third for the restart.
The final eight laps to the finish witnessed a scramble of epic proportions among the frontrunners. First, McIntosh established his presence as he advanced from fourth to second past Avedisian and Pursley in turn one on lap 33. Avedisian promptly took third from Pursley at the exit of turn four a half lap later and began to test McIntosh for the runner-up spot as she ran the top and McIntosh cruised the bottom.
“I knew I was good enough there, but it was hard to get a rhythm with all the holes and finding your way,” McIntosh revealed regarding the low line. “When someone got a good run on the outside, I had to move around a little bit. I stayed patient and I knew I had the car to do it.”
With all that said, McDermand was in total control at the front of the field with a four car length lead on the back straight with the white flag in sight. But as McDermand entered the bottom of turn three on lap 38, the axis of the Earth seemingly tilted, sending McDermand biking on two wheels through the corner. When he landed on all fours in turn four, his front bumper was facing toward the infield.
McDermand recovered in time to beat McIntosh into turn one on the final lap, but without the proper angle, McDermand slid up the racetrack and McIntosh slid under. Simultaneously, Avedisian bolted around the outside of McDermand to occupy second. With McIntosh working the bottom and Avedisian the middle/top, McIntosh beat her to the line by less than two car lengths. McDermand took third, another couple car lengths behind Avedisian. Pursley came home fourth while Kevin Thomas Jr. rounded out the top-five.
“I knew I was good down there and didn’t want to move, but then the opportunity presented itself coming to the white,” McIntosh explained. “I actually didn’t know it was the white until he messed up and I saw it. I thought about driving down there and chopping his nose but I just stuck to the line I had. He went in and drifted in front of me, but I just waited patiently and drove back under him and protected into three.”
In the end, the top-three finishers carried a range of emotions, all with tears in their eyes for varying reasons. One for their greatest triumph; one for coming up just short of their defining moment thus far; and one for letting one slip away from their grasp in crunch time.
Jade Avedisian (Clovis, Calif.) was that close to becoming the first woman to win a USAC National Midget feature. Her end result was the fourth runner-up finish of her career with the series aboard the Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports/Mobil 1 – TRD – Toyota – Peelz/Lynk/Speedway Toyota. Earlier in the evening, she also finished third in the prelim feature, but despite two podium finishes in one day and earning the Inferno Armor Fire Move of the Night, she was anything but satisfied.
“It’s super, super heartbreaking,” Avedisian admitted. “I wanted this one so bad. You do it for these kinds of races, and when you’re in a spot to capitalize and it just doesn’t fall your way, it’s heartbreaking. I could cry right now. I’m going to think about this one for a long time. I wanted to kiss those bricks really badly, but it didn’t happen and I gave my best effort and the team gave their best effort. I was willing to either flip it or win it. On the four-wide, I was telling myself that I’m either going to end up over the fence or I’m going to have a good shot to win this thing. That’s just what this race means to me and what this whole event means to me. I’d be willing to do whatever it takes to win.”
Chase McDermand (Springfield, Ill.) went from the highest of highs in winning his first career USAC National Midget feature on Thursday to seeing the biggest payday of his career vanish in the blink of an eye on Sunday night. Although there isn’t much consolation to offer after what transpired, a weekend in which he recorded his two best career USAC National Midget results can’t be all bad. But this is one that truly got away after he led a race high 35 of 39 laps in his Chase McDermand/Mulch Express of Wisconsin – McDermand Plumbing/Spike/Stanton SR-11x.
“I ran 38 decent laps, and one really, really bad one. It stings. It really stings,” McDermand lamented. “But coming out of this weekend with a first and a third, we probably shouldn’t hang our heads too much, but there’s nothing really I can say that will help all of us these next few days.”
This night marked Kameron Key’s first championship night start during the BC39. Starting all the way back in 24th in the feature, he went +15 to finish a solid ninth. That earned the Warrensburg, Missouri racer hard charger honors for the night.
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USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: September 29, 2023 – The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway – Speedway, Indiana – 1/5-Mile Dirt Track – Driven2SaveLives BC39
FIRST ELLIOTT’S CUSTOM TRAILERS & CARTS SEMI: (12 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Jacob Denney (#25 Malloy), 2. Gavin Miller (#97 Kunz/Curb-Agajanian), 3. Kyle Cummins (#3G Styres), 4. Shane Cottle (#44 4 Kings), 5. Jerry Coons Jr. (#85 Central), 6. Zach Wigal (#89 CBI), 7. Mitchel Moles (#19A Reinbold-Underwood), 8. Bryce Massingill (#40x McDermand), 9. Stephen Schnapf (#11s Martin), 10. Hayden Reinbold (#19AZ Reinbold-Underwood), 11. Gunnar Setser (#43 Arnold), 12. Frankie Guerrini (#63 F & F), 13. Glenn Styres (#0G Styres), 14. Kameron Key (#21J TKH), 15. Briggs Danner (#98 Schneider), 16. Brady Bacon (#21H TKH), 17. Drake Edwards (#3p Petty), 18. Todd Hobson (#75AU Griffiths), 19. Kevin Cook (#77 Cook), 20. Karter Sarff (#21K Sarff), 21. Jeff Schindler (#8x Giddy Up). NT
SECOND ELLIOTT’S CUSTOM TRAILERS & CARTS SEMI: (12 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Justin Grant (#2 RMS), 2. Thomas Meseraull (#7x Engler), 3. Logan Seavey (#57 Abacus), 4. Ethan Mitchell (#19m Bundy Built), 5. Ryan Timms (#67 Kunz/Curb-Agajanian), 6. Tyler Edwards (#14s Mounce-Stout), 7. Darin Naida (#3R Binks), 8. Kaylee Bryson (#58 Abacus), 9. Emerson Axsom (#67K Kunz/Curb-Agajanian), 10. Kevin Newton (16TH Second Law), 11. C.J. Leary (#54 4 Kings), 12. Zach Daum (#7u Trifecta), 13. Joel Myers Jr. (#1 Crouch), 14. Alex Karpowicz (#19 Mounce-Stout), 15. Cody Beard (#7B Beard), 16. Adam Taylor (#7T ATM), 17. Cameron La Rose (#3J Petty), 18. Kyle Jones (#27x Joyner), 19. Davey Ray (#15J Wimmenauer). 2:33.837
ELLIOTT’S CUSTOM TRAILERS & CARTS LAST CHANCE QUALIFIER: (15 laps, top-8 transfer to the feature) 1. Zach Wigal, 2. Mitchel Moles, 3. Emerson Axsom, 4. Tyler Edwards, 5. Kaylee Bryson, 6. C.J. Leary, 7. Zach Daum, 8. Kameron Key, 9. Bryce Massingill, 10. Frankie Guerrini, 11. Kevin Newton, 12. Gunnar Setser, 13. Hayden Reinbold, 14. Joel Myers Jr., 15. Briggs Danner, 16. Alex Karpowicz, 17. Cody Beard, 18. Glenn Styres, 19. Darin Naida, 20. Stephen Schnapf. NT
ALSO AT THE TRACK: Chris Baue (#36 Baue)
FEATURE: (39 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Cannon McIntosh (6), 2. Jade Avedisian (5), 3. Chase McDermand (1), 4. Daison Pursley (2), 5. Kevin Thomas Jr. (4), 6. Logan Seavey (12), 7. Gavin Miller (9), 8. Thomas Meseraull (10), 9. Kameron Key (24), 10. Tyler Edwards (20), 11. Jerry Coons Jr. (15), 12. Zach Daum (23), 13. Ryan Timms (16), 14. C.J. Leary (22), 15. Zach Wigal (17), 16. Kyle Cummins (11), 17. Emerson Axsom (19), 18. Kale Drake (3), 19. Justin Grant (8), 20. Mitchel Moles (18), 21. Kaylee Bryson (21), 22. Ethan Mitchell (14), 23. Shane Cottle (13), 24. Kyle Jones (25-P), 25. Jacob Denney (7), 26. Hayden Reinbold (26-P). NT
(P) represents a provisional starter
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-2 Daison Pursley, Laps 3-37 Chase McDermand, Laps 38-39 Cannon McIntosh.
**Justin Grant flipped on lap 25 of the feature.
USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Daison Pursley-1244, 2-Cannon McIntosh-1157, 3-Ryan Timms-1066, 4-Logan Seavey-1052, 5-Zach Daum-1036, 6-Jacob Denney-968, 7-Justin Grant-963, 8-Gavin Miller-946, 9-Zach Wigal-862, 10-Kale Drake-853.
USAC NATIONAL PROSOURCE PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Daison Pursley-194, 2-Logan Seavey-180, 3-Robert Ballou-145, 4-Justin Grant-129, 5-C.J. Leary-125, 6-Kyle Cummins-117, 7-Chase Stockon-112, 8-Brady Bacon-111, 9-Kevin Thomas Jr.-103, 10-Matt Westfall-101.
NEXT USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: November 15, 2024 – Placerville Speedway – Placerville, California – 1/4-Mile Dirt Oval – Hangtown 100
CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS:
Dirt Draft Hot Laps Fastest Driver: Jacob Denney (12.302)
First Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts Semi Winner: Jacob Denney
Second Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts Semi Winner: Justin Grant
Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts Last Chance Qualifier Winner: Zach Wigal
Hard Charger: Kameron Key (24th to 9th)
Inferno Armor Fire Move of the Night: Jade Avedisian
Max Papis Innovations Rookie of the Race: Kale Drake (18th)
