The reigning champion credits working with Toyota Gazoo Racing over the season as key to his early success
Reigning Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota champion Cannon McIntosh returns to familiar ground for a chance to climb back into title contention during the Series’ triple-header weekend, May 8-10.
The Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports driver currently sits 16th in points after the World of Outlaws Illini 100 season-opener, where issues forced a 15th-place finish on the first night and a 21st-place finish on the final night. But past stats should bring hope for the next three races.
First, the Series will return to the Bixby, OK driver’s home state with a debut at Creek County Speedway in Sapulpa, OK on Thursday, May 8. Then, it’ll return to Kansas’ Humboldt Speedway on Friday, May 9 – where he finished third last year – and 81 Speedway on Saturday, May 10 – where he scored a win last year.
While the Series will debut at Creek County, McIntosh will be one of few drivers entering with a notebook. He has 22 Feature starts there and has amassed one win, 13 top-five finishes and 18 top 10s.
Despite the home track feelings, he’ll experience at the Sapulpa, OK track, McIntosh admitted he’s still trying to master the 1/4-mile bullring.
“I don’t know, I really feel like I’ve always struggled there,” McIntosh said. “It’s a bit different. Turns 1 and 2 is a lot different shape than Turns 3 and 4, so it’s hard to get a hold of and there’s not a lot of grip.
“We were finally able to get my first win there in a Midget, so it definitely gives us confidence going back there now. But it’s a tricky place to understand, so I think if you can figure it out, you’ll have a really good advantage.”
The 2025 season brought new changes with Beau Binder replacing team owner Keith Kunz as crew chief for the No. 71K squad. Their first race paired together ended with a win at the Turnpike Challenge at Creek County Speedway in March, and two podiums in the following events at Port City Raceway.
He also opened the season with a top-five result in a Stock Non-Wing Micro at the Tulsa Shootout and a Feature win at Port City Raceway in a Winged Outlaw Micro.
McIntosh credited the resources at his disposal at Toyota Racing Development in North Carolina, which have helped him maintain a consistent training schedule during the offseason and while he’s busy racing.
“I’ve been trying to stay active during both the off season and while we’re racing,” McIntosh said. “I take training pretty seriously at the Toyota facility. So, I do that about every day during the week, playing pickup basketball, keeping my body moving and fit, so it really helps me with staying focused and staying sharp.”
Despite sitting 16th in the Series standings and 132 points back from leader Karter Sarff, McIntosh said he and Binder are working together to find the spark they need to get their season back on track.
“It’s been good (with Beau) so far,” McIntosh said. “Beau and I are working together and understand what both of us need from each other, and it’s tough just jumping right in and trying to win night in and night out with limited experience together.
“We won our first race out, but we’ve struggled a little bit. Like (Farmer City), we definitely struggled just trying to get our feet under us. But I think once it clicks and we really figure it out, it’s gonna be a dangerous combo. I look forward to when that happens, and it would be nice to get the ball rolling.”
McIntosh climbs back into his KKM Mobil 1 No. 71K for Xtreme Outlaw Midget competition at Creek County Speedway on May 8, Humboldt Speedway on May 9, and 81 Speedway on May 10.
If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online or by downloading the DIRTVision App.
