Lyn started racing in Tony Massaro's #87 in 1961
1962-63 Super Modified with Glen Kettering
Building the CAE sprint for 1966 debut with Lorne Hay
Lyn & Barry Kettering @ Riverview 1971. They were this close all race
Running cageless with the IMCA @ Minnesota State Fair
Lyn & crew @ Minnesota State Fair in the CAE 1972
1973 in the Nance Camper City Special
1977 @ Riverview in the Nance
The 1978 MSA Champion
The 1981 Barry Kettering Memorial @ Riverview
The last edition of the "Invader" based out of Thunder Bay
Prepping the Dirt Champ at the 1990 Hoosier 100 @ Indiana State Fairgrounds
Robbie Stanley looks on
The cars of Barry Kettering & Lyn Mcintosh on display in the
National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in Knoxville Iowa 2003
Seated back in the "Invader" 2003 @ NSCHoF Knoxville
Seated in Barry Kettering's #57 NSCHoF Knoxville 2003
A picture with my Sprint car hero Lyn McIntosh
Lyn being inducted into Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame Sept 24 2011
In Sprint Car Racing, Lyn McIntosh overcame many obstacles regularly travelling hundred’s of miles weekly, to not only be competitive against higher financed teams, but a winner, and Champion in Sprint cars ,and well respected as a racer.
As a youngster Lyn McIntosh caught the taste for racing, watching the Lakehead Stock Car Club races ,and the visiting IMCA Sprint Cars during the 1950’s at the CLE. He got his taste for speed behind the wheel of a “soapbox” push cart ,catching the attention of Master Cleaners ,who became his sponsor. Lyn became a visitor to the garages of Barry Kettering and Master Cleaners drivers Wes Inkster and Jerry Whitaker. Lyn went on to pit for Louis Tocheri and Tony Massaro with his best friend Lorne Hay ,who looked after both racers cars. When Tony Massaro quit driving in 1961,Lyn was persistent in convincing Tony to let him take the wheel of Tony’s #87,which he would race the balance of the ‘61 season. Lyn was a quick learner getting up to speed quickly ,and made his way to victory lane before season’s end.
In '62,Lyn would then team up with Glen Kettering to run the #62 Super Modified ,which later burned in a fire in Glen's garage in August of 1962. With assistance from Ken Taylor ,a benefit at the race track and a benefit social held by the Ladies Auxiliary ,and they were back up and running. Lyn would race south of the border regularly in Superior WI, Rice Lake WI in Super Modified’s and other tracks in the upper Minnesota/Wisconsin area. He run the #62 again in 1963,running the CLE and south of the border.
When the Super Modified class was discontinued ,and regular season racing at the CLE closed in 1964 Lyn built a CAE Sprint Car with Lorne Hay sporting #5. The car was built over a two year period as funds allowed ,ready for the track for the 1966 season. Lyn would continue to do most of his racing in the USA ,racing at home only in the fall championships ,the final races held at the CLE Fairgrounds.
Lyn raced in big IMCA shows in the area ,about 10-15 of the full IMCA season ,racing without a roll cage. When there were no IMCA races in the area ,Lyn would bolt the roll cage on and run with the Super Modified’s at Twin Cities Motor /NorthStar Speedway in the Twin Cities, Cedar Lake Speedway in Wisconsin ,Princeton MN ,as well as out to Fargo and Grand Forks N.Dakota. Lyn would race the CAE until 1973 when he would team with Bill Brower of the Twin Cities racing a Nance chassis and changing his number to #25,after the 1973 season Lyn would team up with Pat Slivinski and Murray Robinson of Thunder Bay as partners of the MRS race team.
In 1973 Lyn was a regular competitor in the Midwest Sprint Association, with Northstar Speedway as its regular Sunday night race date ,MSA ran races across Minnesota ,Wisconsin ,North Dakota ,Winnipeg and Thunder Bay. At the annual IMCA races at the Minnesota State Fair ,Lyn in his upright sprint car ,ran one of his greatest races of his career finishing second to Jerry Hansen who won in an SCCA Formula race car which was designed specially for pavement racing.
He would run the Nance until 1978 when they purchased a Stanton chassis with the name Thunder Bay Invader emblazened on the hood and would have the most successful year of his career. Lyn would win the Midwest Sprint Association North Division ,and overall Championship. Lyn won the Russ Laursen Classic in Superior Wisconsin, the Dave Skari Memorial in Fargo,North Dakota and narrowly missed winning the Barry Kettering Memorial at Riverview in their hometown to Jerry Richert by 1 point. Lyn would also win the Russ Laursen Classic a second time in 1979.
At the end of the 1979 season North Star Speedway closed leaving the Midwest Sprint Association without a home and the club folded as well after an abbreviated 1980 season.
Lyn raced in area World of Outlaws races in the Midwest USA, at tracks in Sioux Fall SD ,Fargo ND ,Fairmont MN ,Lincoln NB ,and would haul his sprint car 650 miles each way ,to race weekly at the “Sprint Car Capitol of the World” ,the legendary Knoxville Speedway in Knoxville, Iowa in 1980. The fans appreciated his efforts and Lyn was popular with the Knoxville fans. During the Knoxville Nationals of 1980 Lyn would suffer the most gruelling crash of his career. After healing up ,Lyn was back racing in 1981,and after a hard crash in Fargo North Dakota a new 1981 Stanton was purchased. In a World of Outlaws race at Fargo Lyn had to run the "B" Main and proceeded to blow away the competition which included several World of Outlaws regulars. One person would watch that race and after the races came up to Lyn and said he was one hell of a racer ,that he made moves out there he couldn't think of and he wanted to meet him ,this guy’s name was Steve Kinser, voted the greatest sprint car racer of all time.
Lyn and his partners put on the promoter hat .hosting the Barry Kettering Memorial in 1980 & 81 at Riverview Raceways when track officials chose not to run it. Lyn stated “Barry had given too much to the sport for him to be forgotten” so they chose to host it themselves. Ironic as it seems ,using the same point system as Knoxville uses for the Nationals Lyn would finally win the race he so badly wanted to win in 1981,the Barry Kettering Memorial by one point over Bob Hopp. In 1978 he missed winning it by one point to Jerry Richert ,using the same point system.
Lyn would again race weekly at Knoxville in 1982 and in 1983 would move to Jamestown ,Indiana and race sprints in All Star Circuit of Champions ,and World of Outlaws shows in the area until 1985,son AJ would also start racing sprints as well but would only spend a couple years behind the wheel. In 1986 Lyn still in partnership with Pat Slivinski and Murray Robinson purchased a McPherson Dirt Champ car to campaign with USAC. Lyn raced the car until finally hanging up his helmet in July 1990. Lyn ,though retiring as a driver ,remained active in USAC as a Dirt Champ car owner with his partners. Lyn would go to work for Patrick Racing from 1997 to 2002 in the CART “Indy Car” series ,and worked as a spotter during Indy car races. Patrick Racing was a premier competitor on Indy cars ,having won the Indianapolis 500 twice. Lyn continues working on the Indy Racing circuit today as a Track Rep for XTRAC ,the exclusive suppliers of rear end assemblies in INDY Car Racing.
Lyn McIntosh was inducted into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame Sept 24 2011
