By Richie Murray
Tulsa, Oklahoma (April 21, 2022)………Cannon McIntosh has plenty of laps around Port City Raceway in his career. He’s won at the Tulsa, Okla. venue before in both micro sprints and midgets and he even owns the fastest lap ever turned by a USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget at the 1/8-mile dirt oval.
Every single bit of that experience came in handy for the Bixby, Okla. native on Thursday night as he successfully passed challenger Justin Grant back on the last lap, after being slid by the 2020 T-Town Midget Showdown winner in turn one. McIntosh then cut back underneath, then fended Grant off between turns three and four to score the special eight-lap, six-car Dash for Cash Presented by Dragonfly Aviation in the prelude to the third annual Werco Manufacturing T-Town Midget Showdown Presented by Priority Aviation.
McIntosh picked up a quick $500 for his efforts, not bad for eight laps of work in his Dave Mac Dalby Motorsports/Crescent Tools – GearWrench – DriveWFX.com/Spike/Speedway Toyota.
Starting outside the front row was McIntosh, alongside pole sitter Grant, in the event that had its lineup determined by the fastest practice speeds turned earlier in the night, followed by each of those drivers drawing for their starting positions. However, a handful of those at the top of the speed charts opted not to compete, shuffling the order a bit. Ultimately, it was McIntosh taking the victory by a single car length, 0.159 second, ahead of Grant at the finish line.
“I had to fight hard,” McIntosh explained. “The top was getting tough right in the center of one and two, just getting tight and upsetting the car, while he was able to carry more momentum and not upset the car. I saw him peek a nose there, and I was able to get back under him when he slid me, and I got a launch under him. I just tried to protect there on that last lap, and we were able to do it.”
Although it involved just a quick jaunt to victory for McIntosh, it was special, having been the first time he’s taken the final checkered flag of the night in USAC competition since September of 2020. For him, it was a much needed and much desired triumph that he and his team needed going into the next two nights of full-out racing on Friday and Saturday night, April 22-23, at Port City.
“We finally won something,” McIntosh exhaled. “I know it’s not a feature win, but it’s huge for us as a team and it’s a big confidence builder going into this weekend.”
Meanwhile, Logan Seavey (Sutter, Calif.) recorded the fastest lap of Thursday night’s practice sessions, clocking in with a lap of 9.405 to best a field of 25 cars that made it on track. The 2018 USAC National Midget champion’s time was just .07 of a second shy of McIntosh’s track record of 9.398, set in 2020. A car count in the mid to high-30s is expected for race day on Friday and Saturday.
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USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: April 21, 2022 – Port City Raceway – Tulsa, Oklahoma – Werco Manufacturing T-Town Midget Showdown Presented by Priority Aviation – 1/8-Mile Dirt Track
PRACTICE: 1. Logan Seavey, 25, Malloy-9.405; 2. Thomas Meseraull, 7x, RMS-9.434; 3. Hayden Reinbold, 19AZ, Reinbold/Underwood-9.448; 4. Justin Grant, 2J, RMS-9.453; 5. Cannon McIntosh, 08, Dave Mac Dalby-9.492; 6. Brenham Crouch, 97, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-9.497; 7. Kaylee Bryson, 71, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-9.515; 8. Ethan Mitchell, 19m, Bundy Built-9.528; 9. Tanner Berryhill, 17, Shophouse-9.531; 10. Taylor Reimer, 25K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-9.552; 11. Buddy Kofoid, 67, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-9.555; 12. Mitchel Moles, 89, CBI-9.618; 13. Zach Daum, 9m, Bundy Built-9.648; 14. Jace Park, 87, CBI-9.653; 15. Tanner Thorson, 19T, Reinbold/Underwood-9.772; 16. Alex Sewell, 15, Mounce/Stout-9.775; 17. Maria Cofer, 57, Abacus-9.777; 18. Kaidon Brown, 97K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-9.824; 19. Mariah Ede, 71E, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-9.839; 20. Dominic Gorden, 83, CBI-9.868; 21. Trey Gropp, 17B, Dave Mac-9.931; 22. Gavin Miller, 71m, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-9.968; 23. Noah Harris, 20H, Turley-10.105; 24. Kevin Reed, 36, Reed-NT; 25. Trey Gropp, 08x, Dave Mac Dalby-NT.
DASH FOR CASH PRESENTED BY DRAGONFLY AVIATION: (8 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Cannon McIntosh (2), 2. Justin Grant (1), 3. Ethan Mitchell (4), 4. Tanner Thorson (6), 5. Tanner Berryhill (5), 6. Hayden Reinbold (3). 1:19.86
DASH FOR CASH LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-8 Cannon McIntosh.
NEXT USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACES: April 22-23, 2022 – Port City Raceway – Tulsa, Oklahoma – Werco Manufacturing T-Town Midget Showdown Presented by Priority Aviation – 1/8-Mile Dirt Track