03-07-2025
- Automotive
- Indianapolis Star
BC 39's first two-time winner came from back for consecutive victories: 'Gave it all I had'
INDIANAPOLIS — During Wednesday night's third qualifier race for the BC 39 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway dirt track, Cannon McIntosh's car was upside down near the Turn 3 fence.
Just a few short hours later, the Bixby, Oklahoma native kissed the bricks on the wall after claiming his second consecutive victory in the 39-lap feature race on the fifth-mile oval, and becoming the first to win the BC 39 twice.
McIntosh only led the final two laps of the race after getting the lead from Jacob Denney on a late restart.
'If he left it open, I was going to go attack,' McIntosh said. 'I was able to clear him (Denney) there and he crossed under, kind of hopped our wheel, didn't really know what was going to happen there and he didn't protect the second time, so I dove it off in there again and gave it all I had.'
Second place finisher Gavin Miller pulled off a slide job on Denney going to the white flag and the light contact between the pair was enough to slow both down and allow the No. 71K Keith Kunz Motorsports machine to win.
Tuesday night's preliminary feature winner Justin Grant started the race from the pole and led the race's first 36 laps but late contact on the front stretch with Denney punctured the California native's left front tire.
The pair had contact again on the back stretch before another yellow flag for multiple stopped cars exiting Turn 2.
'I don't think (Grant) knew I had that big of a run coming down the front stretch when we hit and then I slid him down to one,' Denney said. 'I smoked the curb. I didn't know he was there and we hit again. So I don't feel like it's any of our fault. It's just hard racing for the win there and both weren't going to give an inch just enough for each other to not crash. So it was a good race with him.'
On the ensuing restart, Denney led McIntosh and Miller as the trio headed to the first turn. McIntosh went underneath Denney to pull off a slide job and nearly cleared the Ohio native but the pair had contact exiting Turn 2. Denney went high again going into Turn 3 and that time McIntosh made the pass stick en route to victory.
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For McIntosh, it was all about proving that his crew guys were the best. The team replaced numerous parts on the car after determining that a backup car would not be needed following his flip in the third qualifier race.
McIntosh then started fourth in the B-Main which he won to advance to the feature where he started 19th.
'If that car fired off tonight, we had a chance,' McIntosh said. 'Those guys have worked hard and gave me a great piece and I truly couldn't have done it without them and their hard work. They could have given up on me and gotten it back out there and not put much effort into it and thought, 'Yeah, well he's out of it, he is just not showing up today.' But they worked their butts off and they believe in me. So it comes down to me doing my job there at the end. They gave me a winning car. It was up to me to go do the job and I'm just thankful we were able to do it.'
IMS president Doug Boles was on hand to hand McIntosh his tie after McIntosh's victory. He was upbeat about the race and its future at the dirt track.
'We've never really had a contract, it's a handshake deal and they'll definitely be back next year,' Boles said. 'We'll just figure out the right date. Hopefully we can get ahead of that, you know, get people to know earlier. This is the first time we've done a Tuesday-Wednesday show. So we've got to figure out how that is and, and figure out what the right date is for it.'
Boles had to juggle the BC 39's date with the dirt track's debut in Indiana Sprint Week on July 24, and that had other logistical hurdles. The track's biggest expense for hosting the races is in renting the temporary grandstands that must be rented, built up and torn down for both the BC 39 and the Sprint Week race in three weeks' time.
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But that expense doesn't dampen Boles' enthusiasm for the BC 39.
'For me, this is my second favorite day of the year,' Boles said. 'And to continue to have this, I think it's just great grassroots racing, great way to stay connected to USAC and obviously the connection of our organization and USAC goes way back. So that's really, really important for us.'
As for McIntosh, sweeping the dirt races at IMS would be on his bucket list for 2025.
'I don't have anything planned or lined up, but I sure would like to, but yeah, we'll see,' McIntosh said. 'Maybe something will come about, maybe this interview will make it out there and something happens.'
