Shawn McConnell has been racing Speedway Motorcycles for 34 years and there’s very little about the sport that he doesn’t know.
One thing the 49-year-old stunt man hasn’t mastered, however, is the art of winning main events at Industry Speedway.
The man nicknamed “Mad Dog” so far this season has won four main events at Costa Mesa Speedway and his third U.S. Open title at Champion Speedway in Owego, N.Y. But his last main event win at Industry Speedway came almost three years ago, on Aug. 10, 2005.
“That sounds about right,” said McConnell, who’ll try again at 7 p.m. Wednesday as the season continues in The Grand arena at the Industry Hills Expo Center. “I don’t know what it is. I get close, like the other night (July 30, when he finished second to Ricky Wells), but things aren’t quite clicking. I don’t have any excuses; I’m just not getting it done. I wish I had an excuse. Then I could fix it.”
McConnell, of Brea, has qualified for the main event in all 12 of his appearances at Industry Speedway this year, in the process winning 18 heat races, two semifinals and five Last Chance Qualifiers. But he’s had to settle for five runner-up finishes in those main events, including his two most recent races.
While not making excuses, McConnell can cite valid reasons why he hasn’t been able to get that main event win. One, he said, is that while a track like Costa Mesa is “pretty consistent all the time” because it is used only for speedway, The Grand is a multi-purpose venue and the dirt oval has to be redone each week. As a result, McConnell said, “it’s different every night we show up and most of the time I’m just chasing the track trying to get the right setup.”
That’s especially important for McConnell, who said he doesn’t “gear as high as most of the guys do,” and relies on setup and riding technique to offset the sacrifice in top speed.
The other major factor is that a rider doesn’t attain elder statesman status, as McConnell has, without experiencing incredible highs and devastating lows. In the process, he’s learned the difference between bravery and foolish bravura.
“It’s hard to race somebody that feels invincible,” McConnell said in reference to his younger rivals, who often are willing to take actions that put them at risk unnecessarily. Take, for instance, riding the outside line near the safety wall without knowing for sure that the composition of the track and the setup on the motorcycle are good enough to provide a reasonable chance for a positive outcome.
“I’m not really willing to stick it way out there,” he said. “Maybe some of the kids are because they ain’t been hurt yet and don’t know what can happen. I don’t really want to gamble. I kind of know what’s going to happen when you go out there, so I want to be out there as little as possible. I guess I’m too much of a wimp,” he said with a laugh.
But he doesn’t have any intention of giving up his pursuit of that elusive win. “I’m in the mains and I’m close. I’m not getting a lot of wins, but I’m not getting a lot of lasts, either. I’m surviving it.”
Entrance gates at The Grand open at 5:30 p.m. and racing gets under way at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors, students and military, and $5 for children 6-13.
