Every young racer just starting out in the world of motorsports dreams of one day being able to compete for a win on the biggest stage.

That was especially true for a young Mike McIntire Jr. who grew up watching his father, Mike Sr., make blistering passes and compete for wins at racetracks across the country. Mike Sr. cut his teeth racing nostaglia machines on various tours, making famous the now-recognizable orange and back “McAttack” moniker that his son now carries on his big show nitro Funny Car.

So when the younger McIntire survived two rounds of tricky competition in the four-wide event at zMax Dragway in Charlotte earlier this year, reaching his first career final, it was a moment that signaled that he had finally arrived in the sport. And while he wasn’t able to walk away with the win that day, finishing fourth among a trio of titans in the sport in John Force, Robert Hight and Ron Capps - with a combined 280 wins between them - McIntire finally felt at home in the sport.

“Charlotte was a dream weekend for the team,” McIntire said. “Qualifying wasn’t great, but going to the finals at our first outing of the year was something I’ll never forget. Especially running Force, Hight and Capps in the finals. It was amazing.”

While the second outing of the year wasn’t as productive for the part-time driver, falling in a first-round matchup against Capps at Virginia Motorsports Park, McIntire is looking forward to trying his hand at a second final round this weekend.

“Richmond was a big disappointment for us,” he said. “There were some tough conditions and we had zero success going down the track in four runs. Coming off a weekend like Charlotte and then having that weekend was very disappointing. But we are excited to bounce back here in Norwalk.”

Making this weekend even more special, Summit Motorsports Park is a true home track in every sense of the word for McIntire. The young driver lives a touch over an hour east of the track in Chesterland, Ohio, and looks forward to returning to the track where he made his first professional start with his entire family by his side.

“Being this close to home is awesome. I wish we could race here five times a year. It is super easy travel and a world-class facility,” McIntire said. “It doesn’t get much better, honestly. Our team is made up of family and long-time friends who are our family. Being in Norwalk is great because not only will my wife and kids be here, but most of the guys’ families will be here as well. There will be kids running around and lots of people hanging out in our pit which just makes for a great weekend in itself.”

Since making that first start at this track in 2019, McIntire says he feels he has learned a lot competing sporadically over the past few seasons and hopes to be able to put those lessons to work in front of a crowd dotted with friends and family.

“I feel a lot more comfortable in the car. At least as comfortable as you can be in a Funny Car,” McIntire said. “We have made some good runs and got a lot more experience with different scenarios. I think we have progressed quite a bit considering the limited runs we make a year.

“We want to go down the track clean every run. Consistency is the goal. Whatever happens after that is a bonus.”