WHEATLAND, Mo. — Cannon McIntosh made the winning pass with three laps remaining and then held off Chance Crum for the POWRi National Midget League feature victory Saturday night at Lucas Oil Speedway.
McIntosh, from Bixby, Okla., had to work doubly hard for the victory. He made one pass for the lead that was wiped out as a caution flag appeared before the lap could be completed.
No matter. He did it again, one the same part of the track, three laps after the restart.
“I definitely knew we were better at the end. I just needed to be able to pull it off,” McIntosh said. “It hurt us when we got the lead and went back to second there.
“I was trying to get momentum going there on the top. It just wasn’t enough to got and get the leader. He was pretty good on the bottom. I just tried something and opened my entry up and cut it down. I’m just super happy. We’ve been close so many times this year.”
Crum held a 1.8-second lead over McIntosh when Bryant Wiedeman slowed in turn one on lap 13 with an apparent flat and Austin Barnhill flipped his car in turn four to bring out a caution.
Wiedeman, the reigning series champ, started on the front row and led the first lap. But he would fade until rolling to the stop, leading to a tire change. He ultimately finished ninth.
Jace Park took over the lead on lap two, but didn’t keep it for long. Crum slid past him coming out of turn four on lap five and gradually built his lead until the action came to a stop on lap 13. McIntosh was running second with Alex Sewell third and Park in fourth.
Crum continued to lead after the restart, but McIntosh closed in and made a passing out of turn two on lap 20 – but a caution waved before the lap was completed and the running order reverted back to the previous lap.
That left Crum in front for a six-lap shootout. McIntosh again fought his way past for the lead, on lap 22, once again exiting turn two.
McIntosh held on from there to prevail by .723 seconds. Sewell finished third with Park fourth and Brenham Couch in fifth.
The finish:
1. 08-Cannon McIntosh[1]; 2. 26-Chance Crum[5]; 3. 17-Alex Sewell[9]; 4. 87-Jace Park[4]; 5. 97-Brenham Crouch[8]; 6. 97K-Ryan Timms[7]; 7. 84-Jade Avedisian[10]; 8. 40-Chase McDermand[11]; 9. 01-Bryant Wiedeman[2]; 10. 51B-Joe B Miller[3]; 11. 61-Jacob Denney[14]; 12. 83-Dominic Gorden[13]; 13. 21-Emilio Hoover[18]; 14. 71E-Mariah Ede[6]; 15. 7-Shannon McQueen[12]; 16. 71M-Gavin Miller[16]; 17. 15-Branigan Roark[20]; 18. 19AZ-Hayden Reinbold[17]; 19. 33GC-George Campbell Jr[15]; 20. 89-Todd McVay[21]; 21. 17B-Austin Barnhill[19]; 22. 52J-Corey Joyner[22]