Rookie Drake Earns Initial USAC Win in First Feature of Doubleheader
Relief and joy came in equal measures Sunday night for Cannon McIntosh at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
McIntosh passed pole sitter Chase McDermand on the final lap of the 39-lap feature to win the Driven2SaveLives BC39 presented by Avanti Windows & Doors, a USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Championship race delayed by rain for one day. McIntosh had finished second in the BC39 in 2022, in a preliminary feature race in 2023 and in the prelim feature Thursday night on the quarter-mile dirt oval inside Turn 3 at IMS.
“We’ve been so close to winning here, even on prelim nights, and haven’t got it done,” McIntosh said. “I knew I was good enough there. It was hard to get a rhythm and find your way. When someone got a good run on the outside, I had to move around a little bit. I just stayed patient. I knew I had the car to do it.”
Jade Avedisian finished second to Keith Kunz Motorsports teammate McIntosh, with McDermand hanging on for third. Daison Pursley finished fourth, with Kevin Thomas Jr. rounding out the top five.
McDermand dominated the 39-lap feature from the pole. He lost the lead in his family-owned No. 40 machine on Lap 1 to Pursley in the No. 86 CB Industries machine. But McDermand regained the lead on Lap 2 and kept the top spot on five ensuing restarts.
Meanwhile, McIntosh worked his way from the sixth starting position to second with eight laps to go but didn’t look like he would threaten McDermand, who won the 30-lap preliminary feature Thursday night for his first USAC victory.
But heartbreak struck for McDermand on Lap 38. His car got hung up in a rut at the bottom of Turn 4, slowing his momentum. That let McIntosh power even with McDermand on the outside of the main straightaway with the white flag in the air, and McIntosh’s momentum carried him under McDermand in Turn 2 for a lead he would not surrender in the final two corners.
“I ran 38 decent laps and one really, really bad one,” a dejected-yet-classy McDermand said. “It stings, it really stings.”
McIntosh, from Bixby, Oklahoma, earned $20,039 for what he called the biggest victory of his career.
“I just stuck to the line I had,” McIntosh said. “I just waited patiently and drove under him (McDermand) and protected it into (Turn) 3. But I’m so thankful to do this in honor of Bryan (race namesake Bryan Clauson), who was a legend in our sport and a hero. It’s a really cool feeling. I’m just so grateful to be able to race here.”
Avedisian turned her No. 71 Keith Kunz Motorsports car into a thrill ride for most of the feature. She started fifth, next to McIntosh on the third row, and was one of the first drivers to try the treacherous high line.
The gamble worked. Avedisian, 17, started to gain ground quickly, sliding inches from the concrete wall in the corners. She passed Pursley for third with seven laps to go and had momentum exiting Turn 4 on the final lap, falling short of catching McIntosh at the line.
“It’s super, super heartbreaking,” Avedisian said. “I wanted this one so bad. You do it for these kind of races, and when you’re in a spot to capitalize and it doesn’t fall your way, it’s heartbreaking. It’s still so cool to race inside IMS.”
Rookie Kale Drake earned his first USAC victory by capturing the 30-lap feature that preceded the BC39. The feature was rained out Friday and Saturday.
Drake, who started fourth in the No. 97K car fielded by Keith Kunz Motorsports, passed Gavin Miller for the lead six laps into the feature and stayed out front for the rest of the way despite four caution periods.
“I don’t think there is anything better than it, honestly,” Drake said, his voice cracking with emotion. “Holy moly. This is unreal. We’re a winner at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It’s pretty surreal.”
Pole sitter Thomas finished second, while Avedisian finished third. Drake, Thomas and Avedisian earned automatic starting spots in the BC39 feature by placing in the top three.
Drake never was seriously challenged on any of the restarts after he took the lead, and he was able to smoothly navigate the rougher Turn 3 and 4 portion of the racetrack.
“I had the best race car out there,” Drake said. “The entire Keith Kunz Motorsports team gave me the easiest Cadillac to drive through those ruts.”
Like in the BC39, Avedisian was the star of the show in the 30-lap feature. She struggled in her heat race but produced a strong drive from 10th to third in the feature, earning an automatic transfer spot after passing reigning BC39 winner Justin Grant and Miller in the last 11 laps.
The Driven2SaveLives BC39 presented by Avanti Windows & Doors continues to honor late USAC champion and three-time Indianapolis 500 starter Bryan Clauson. In addition, it increases awareness of the Indiana Donor Network and its Driven2SaveLives campaign, sponsors of the event since its inception.
