Jacob Denney has proven to be a championship threat in the 2025 Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota campaign.
The Galloway, OH driver had a lessened workload towards the front of the field compared to Friday night’s Humboldt Speedway win. However, Saturday’s Feature at 81 Speedway had him racing against his Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports teammates for the night’s victory.
Gavin Miller and Cannon McIntosh led to the drop of the green flag, with Miller going to the point as Denney and McIntosh competed for second place through the first three laps.
While Miller extended the lead to over one second, Denney got clear of McIntosh on Lap 4 and made his charge towards the SoundGear No. 97 through the high line of the 3/8-mile racetrack.
On Lap 5, Denney closed the gap to half a second. On Lap 6, it went down to two-tenths of a second. On Lap 7, Denney moved to take the lead over Miller by running the high line of Turns 1 and 2, then swept to the bottom line of Turns 3 and 4 to get clear with the lead in his possession.
With clean air in front of Denney, he ran the JBL Audio No. 67 LynK Chassis on the cushion of the track to extend his lead to over three seconds on the field as Miller and McIntosh lost time in their race for second place.
As Miller began to shrink the bubble towards the lead, it was not enough to catch Denney in time as he crossed the finish line for his third win in four Xtreme Outlaw Midget races.
With the Feature win, he padded the Series points lead to 47 markers over second-place Chase McDermand.
“A track this fast, we were pretty much wide open all the way around,” Denney said. “I started circling, about the first or second lap, I carried a lot of speed down the straightaways, and I knew that would be my money spot. I circled Cannon, then I got to Gavin, circled him, he slid me, I crossed over (him), then I was just trying to run away and hide.”
Miller finished in second place to join his KKM teammate on the podium for the second consecutive Feature.
“It definitely stinks for sure,” Miller said. “I think moving up (to the cushion) a little bit earlier would’ve helped me. I should have played with shocks, to be honest. On the long run, I got better and better as the track got slicker, but at the beginning, I struggled, and I got tight in the marbles. Nonetheless, the whole team has been working hard on this No. 97 car.”
McIntosh, the 2024 Series champion, completed the KKM podium sweep at the Park City, KS track. His rebound weekend with the Series moves him into the top-10 in Series points, leaving the weekend.
“I guess the only positive is that we finished better than (Friday night),” McIntosh said. “I don’t know, we just really lack the pace, given everything we have. We’re just not really there, but thanks to Mobil 1 and everyone for being onboard, and hopefully we can keep fighting and get better.”
McDermand finished fourth, and Trifecta Motorsports rookie Michael Faccinto earned his first career top-five finish with the Series.
Recap Notes:
Smith Titanium Quick Time Award: Chase McDermand
Toyota Heat 1 Winner: Cannon McIntosh
CASM Safety Products Heat 2 Winner: Hayden Wise
Summit Racing Equipment Hard Charger: Kameron Key (+9)
Honest Abe Roofing 16th Place Finisher: Tyler Edwards