BIXBY, Okla. – Dave Mac Motorsports revealed its first four drivers for the 35th Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals on Monday night, featuring continuity from its outdoor program this season.
Leading the way for the Toyota-powered team are Oklahomans Ace McCarthy and Noah Gass, both of whom drove for Dave Mac Motorsports in USAC and POWRi competition through the year.
Michael Faccinto and Jace McIntosh, who each wheeled a Dave McIntosh-owned entry during the Chili Bowl this past January, will also return to the squad.
Faccinto will wheel the team’s flagship No. 08 entry, with McIntosh at the controls of the No. 08j. Gass will drive the No. 20g and McCarthy will carry his familiar No. 28 during the Jan. 11-16 event.
“We’re excited to put our first four guys out there and glad to have them all back with us for this year’s Chili Bowl,” McIntosh said when reached by phone Monday night. “It’s a lot of consistency; all of these guys have raced with us before and know what we do and how we operate, so we believe it won’t take much to get them all in a place where they can contend throughout the week. We’re excited, for sure.”
McCarthy earned two wins, four top fives and 10 top 10s in 20 feature starts this season en route to a third-place finish in the POWRi national midget standings with Dave Mac Motorsports this year.
He has yet to make the Saturday finale in four attempts at Tulsa (Okla.) Expo Raceway, with an 11th-place finish in the B main in 2018 standing as McCarthy’s best effort so far. He was in a C main this year.
Gass made his Chili Bowl debut this year, but it was short lived, with struggles on his preliminary night leading to a DNS in the O main Saturday. He earned one top-five finish en route to 11th in POWRi points.
Faccinto is a two-time feature starter at the Chili Bowl, with a best result of 16th in 2019, and likely would have made the Saturday field again this year. However, he withdrew from competition after using a racial slur in a post-race interview on his preliminary night, where he finished on the podium.
McIntosh noted that he and Faccinto have “unfinished business” together, leading to their reunion.
“I wanted to have him back and I believe he’s learned from the situation that he went through in January,” McIntosh noted. “He’s a great driver and he’s proven his character by how he handled his situation at the Chili Bowl and everything he’s done since then. We’re glad to bring him back on board with us for this year’s event and believe he can pick up with us right where we left off.”
Jace McIntosh, the eldest son of Dave McIntosh, made his Chili Bowl debut in January and will be back for his second straight run at the Super Bowl of Midget Racing in a family-owned entry.
Jace McIntosh finished 13th in an M main during this year’s Chili Bowl.
Dave Mac Motorsports plans to field six cars for the 35th Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals, with the final two drivers for the team to be announced shortly.
While that unofficially elevates his operation – led by crew chief Cody Cordell – to “super team status,” McIntosh didn’t want to label his squad as one of the powerhouses of the River Spirit Expo Center.
That designation comes with results, he noted.
“It’s not much of a super team, I don’t think,” a humble McIntosh said. “It’s just a bunch of racers, man. We just all want to go racing and have a good time doing it.”
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