DRIVER SPOTLIGHT: CANNON McINTOSH
Toyota Dirt Driver Spotlight
Cannon McIntosh
Dave Mac Dalby Motorsports - Crescent Toyota Spike
Age: 19
Hometown: Bixby, Oklahoma
After going through some early struggles this season, Toyota development driver Cannon McIntosh has been one of the hottest drivers in midget racing heading into this week’s USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship DrivenToSaveLives BC39 Presented by WeatherTech at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Over the last eight races, he’s earned two wins and six top-five finishes. He appeared to be headed for a third victory in the most recent USAC event at Jefferson County where he led the field going into the final lap only to drop to tenth after an incident with the second-place car.
The 19-year-old Oklahoma native is no stranger to success, though. He won his first USAC national event at age 16 at Du Quoin and followed that up by becoming the youngest driver ever to win a Qualifying Night feature at the Chili Bowl (age 17) in 2020 and then repeated in 2021. Overall, he has registered 20 national midget feature victories.
Cannon, how did you begin racing?
CM: I grew up around Port City Raceway in Tulsa, where I watched my dad race quite a bit. At about seven years old, my dad bought me my first junior sprint and I raced there for most of my childhood. I fell in love with it – even just watching my dad race was a blast. I just kept racing and racing. It was a family thing for a while, with me, my brother, my dad, and my uncle all racing – and we really all still do other than my dad. Port City was my home. I started racing with Taylor Reimer, Hank Davis, and some other really good racers. Frank Flud and Scott Sawyer and guys like that were really hard to beat. They helped me learn good habits and how to race. The times you could beat Frank Flud, you knew you had a good night.
At 16, you won your first USAC race, then at 17 you won your feature night at the Chili Bowl, what’s it been like?
CM: It was surreal for sure. It wasn’t something I expected to be doing at that age. Not that I didn’t think I was capable of doing it, it was just crazy to be competing with drivers at such a high level. All the way until now, it’s been a crazy journey that I’ve been on. We’ve had so many ups and downs. There were times that got really tough, and I felt like quitting. It’s a challenge at times. I’ve been doing this for so long and trying to reach the top gets challenging. Especially when you’re doing it with a family team. We’re capable of doing it, but it’s a challenge when you’re racing against really good drivers and teams that have a lot of knowledge. I’m just thankful to go on this journey.
What’s it like to be considered a veteran at 19 years old?
CM: To be 19 in any sport and to say you’re a veteran is kind of crazy. We have a lot of good younger drivers coming up in midgets, though. Really, though, I don’t consider myself a veteran coming out here and racing against top drivers in their 30s. To be doing this 10 to 15 years from now is just crazy to think about.
Speaking of the younger drivers, some older competitors have suggested that midget racing is out of control and too aggressive. Your thoughts?
CM: Midget racing is just as hard as any racing you’ll ever compete in. That’s why I think some who are getting out of it are saying that it’s too aggressive. It’s tough. They can’t just come back and win right off the bat. It’s insane the pace you have to run and the level of talent the guys upfront have. You have to have a really good car under you, and you have to be on your game every night.
You started off with the family team, then went to Keith Kunz Motorsports for a year and now you’re back with the family Dave Mac Dalby Motorsports team. How has the transition gone?
CM: We obviously had pretty good success with KKM. We still had ups-and-downs there, but we won races in USAC and POWRi. To come back here, there have been some bugs and the ups and downs for sure, but we’ve seen success as well. We’re learning a lot every week. It’s a challenge at times. When you’re with KKM, you just hop in and drive, you don’t worry about anything, and you know your car is going to be pretty fast. Here, my feedback is very important. I think it’s crucial in the long run to understand the physics and everything about how a race car works and what it does. Learning all the aspects of a race car helps you in the long run. There are times that you don’t need to worry about it, you just need to drive. But being able to learn those things is important especially for someone who wants to be in the sport for a career. It’s beneficial that I’ve been able to learn so many things.
It’s pretty special to be able to compete at this level with your dad. At times, it’s tough when you have bad nights on the family team. So there are tough times, but those good nights when you win races, it’s very special. It’s something you’ll always remember.
Tell us about your season to date
CM: It was really frustrating early on. We’ve always had a fast car, but it seemed like one thing, or another would happen. We just didn’t seem to have any luck on our side and needed to develop more consistency. The USAC win at Kokomo was a long time coming. We had won in POWRi and had been so close in USAC, but just weren’t able to pull it off. Since then, the car has been really, really good. To have the success we’ve had for Crescent Tools, Toyota, Mobil 1 and everyone who’s a part of this team has been pretty awesome.
What’s your relationship like with Toyota and how did it get started?
CM: I made my first contact with Toyota when I met Gary Reed of TRD at Pevely in 2018 when I was 15. TRD helped us out with an engine of ours, so we had that connection with TRD and Speedway. Then we had a pretty good finish at the Chili Bowl, and I met Tyler Gibbs. He invited me down to the Toyota Performance Center and they do so much for their drivers between the TPC and some of the things we’re doing. They have personal trainers. a nutritionist who’s fully involved. We have meetings and they track our workouts. Then, of course, they have the simulator to make progress on the pavement stuff. There are so many things Toyota does for us. It’s been awesome to meet so many people. They’ve had Kurt Busch come in and explain sponsorships, how to make those connections and keep good relationships. We’ve met so many cool people. It’s like family.
You added sponsorship from Crescent Tools this year, what’s that been like?
CM: It was huge. We found out at Turkey Night last year that we would be partnered up with Crescent and Apex Tools. To represent a great tool company like this is pretty cool. For them to want to be involved in midget racing has been huge for the sport as well. I’ve met quite a few people from the company and the things they are doing are pretty special.
What are your long-term goals?
CM: My long-term goal is NASCAR. To be able to race on Sundays would be a dream. You need to perform and show your talent every chance you get. There are rough moments when you think it’s just not going to be possible, but you have to see past those things. Having a good relationship with Toyota really helps. That’s my long-term goal.
And what do you do in your off-time?
CM: I’m pretty boring. During the week, I really enjoy going to the gym. I’m a huge Chicago Cubs and Bears fan. It’s been so busy lately that I haven’t had much time. I like to get on the PC and play games against my friends when I get a break.
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