McCONNELL WINS FIRST INDUSTRY SPEEDWAY CYCLE MAIN IN THREE YEARS
By Tim Kennedy

Industry, CA., Sept. 3 - Shawn "Mad Dog" McConnell, a 49-year old speedway cycle racing veteran, enjoyed one of the most successful racing weeks of his 30-year career during the past week. The current track point leader topped his week by winning his first speedway cycle 4-lap main event Wednesday night at Industry Speedway. It was his first feature 'triumph in three years at the track closest to his Brea (Orange County) home. He last won a feature at the Industry Hills Expo Center Grand arena on August 10, 2005 on his 500-cc JAWA cycle. The gray-haired, pony-tailed movie stuntman allowed the other four Division 1 riders to reach into a can to pull out a numbered golf ball for their starting positions at the starting gate. McConnell accepted whatever position went unselected and it was the outside, lane five.

When the gate lifted, McConnell shot into the lead as three riders raced into the first turn side-by-side in close quarters. Somehow all five riders emerged on two-wheels. McConnell led the initial lap over fourth starter Jimmy Fishback. Pole starter Ricky Wells, second starter Charlie Venegas and third starter Mikre Faria, the Reno, NV resident and star at Fast Fridays Speedway in Auburn, CA, followed closely. They completed the first three laps in that order. Wells took second from Fisback on the final lap with a strong outside pass from turn four to the finish line. Wells, who trailed McConnell by five yards, edged a surprised Fishback by less than a length. Faria and Venegas followed by a few lengths.

McConnell scored the most points (8) in three heat races and finished third in the Division 1 feature at Industry on August 27. He then went to the state of New York for the Speedway Cycle Natrionals and competed in six nights of speedway cycle racing at three tracks--Owasso, Green and Batavia. He won two of six features, finished second in the other four mains and won the King of Speedway Cycle Racing overall title by nine points. Earlier this summer McConnell also raced at the upstate New York tracks and won a feature during the U.S, Open.This year he also has won several Saturday night main events at Costa Mesa Speedway in southern Orange County.

In other successful outings for riders from Southern California last week, five-time Industry D-1 winner Wells, 17, won the Under 21 National Championship at Auburn on Friday, August 29. On the same program, Brad Pappalardo,15, won the Youth National Championship race on his 250-cc cycle in a race that featured northern and southern Californians and out of state riders.

Rudy Laurer, of Gardena, led all four laps in a five-rider D-2 field. Bruce Marteney, of San Dimas, led all four laps of the D-3 race for 500-cc novice riders. Faria and Venegas won the semi-final races. Wells earned the final feature berth by winning the last chance race for third and fourth finishers in the two semi-finals. Wells also won the earlier "Last of the Mohicians" race in which the last place rider after the first and second laps drops out, leaving only the first two riders to race two laps for all the money. McConnell was second all four laps. Youth main event trophies went to Austin Novratil and Samuel Ramirez. Jacob Wondolowski, a 6-year old from Placentia, won his second pee-wee main trophy in his initial season on the 50-cc mini cycles.

Two USAC Ford Focus Midget race cars were on display inside the front gate for arriving spectators. During two intermissions, owner/driver Wally Pankra'tz (in the blue No. 37) and Alan Budnik (in the yellow No. 8) drove demonstration laps and about ten hot laps at the upper half of the dirt track. Pankratz won a recent USAC FF Midget Ventura Raceway main event in the No. 37 car and Cody Williams finished third in the ;No. 8 car during the July 31 Ventura Country Fair USAC FF point race. Pankratz, who uses his two FF Midgets to teach students how to race at the paved Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino, said he would like to rent Industry Speedway to train his students one at a time how to race on dirt. The 2000 USAC Western Midget Series champion also said he would like to see FF Midgets race at Industry Speedway if the track was watered more and additional fencing was installed..

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