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INDUSTRY, CA., Aug. 19 –Shawn McConnell picked the right night to win his first 500cc Division 1 speedway cycle main event of the Industry Speedway season late Wednesday. The movie stunt-man and Brea resident led all the way in the 8-lap, eight-rider field at The Grand in the Industry Hills Expo Center. The feature was the longest of the season had the largest field of the year. McConnell, 50, earned the first perpetual Warren Russell All-Star Cup at Industry and will have his name engraved on it. Costa Mesa Speedway has presented a Warren Russell Cup for many years.
Four riders started 10-yards behind the starting gate and four riders started 20-yards from the gate based upon finishing position points earned earlier Wednesday. Five riders were seeded into the feature based upon past championships or victories and three riders had to race their way into the event. Seeded riders were 2008 Industry track champion McConnell, California State Champion Charlie Venegas, Industry rider of the year Bobby Schwartz, and 2009 feature winners Gary Hicks and Mike Faria. Eddie Castro and Buck Blair won the two semi-final races Wednesday to earn their feature berths. Auburn star Tommy Hedden received the eighth starting position as the highest point rider of the night not yet in the field.
Riders with the highest points Wednesday selected positions at the 10-yard line and other riders started 20-yards from the gate. Blair had the inside lane, with McConnell, Hicks, and Venegas to his right at the ten. The back row had Hedden, Schwartz, Faria and Castro from the inside to outside in that order. At the green, McConnell shot into the lead and beat Blair and Hicks to turn one. They rode in that order all eight laps with a cycle-length between each rider. Hedden took fourth from Venegas on lap 3 and finished fourth. Faria dropped Venegas to fifth on lap 5, but Venegas re-passed him on the final lap on the inside exiting the fourth turn to nail fifth position. Faria, Castro and Schwartz finished sixth through eighth respectively.
Austin Novratil, 14, led all four laps in a six-rider field to earn his fourth 500cc Division 2 main trophy this year. Justin Weeks, a 24-year old Glen Helen motocross veteran from Riverside, borrowed a Facchini-family speedway cycle for his first ever race at Industry. He took the lead on the second lap and won a four-rider, 4-lap 500cc Division 3 feature and his first speedway cycle trophy. With six sidecar teams present, the Lake Forest duo of driver Gerard Jackson and sidecar rider Dave German won for their third time this year at Industry in a close, four-team, 4-lap contest. Rocco Scopellite, 13, from Huntington Beach, won on his 250cc cycle in a three rider field. Nicky Reimer, 10, from Seal Beach, won the 200cc Juniors five-rider main event trophy after he earlier won a four-rider pee-wee main on his smaller cycle. In a two-rider field of newer pee-wee riders, Keelan Venegas, 5-year old son of Charlie Venegas, won his first main event trophy in just his third race on his 50cc mini cycle.
Industry Speedway promoter Jeff Immediato welcomed the 63-rider field assembled on the front straight following the usual individual rider introductions at 7:30. He spoke to riders and about 600 grandstand spectators and announced that the purse for D-2 and D-3 riders would be doubled that evening. He also announced that next Wednesday night will be speedway cycle legends night. He said 65 speedway cycle stars from the past were invited to attend and 30 have accepted so far. Past champions Rick Woods, Bruce Penhall, Billy Hamill and possibly others will take hot laps on the track. The September 2 evening will be another Harley Night and September 9 will be the annual Industry Speedway track championship night. Immediato also announced a schedule change in his 19-week second season as Industry Speedway promoter. The final three Wednesday races at Industry Speedway in September (the 16th, 23rd, and 30th) have been canceled and moved to Saturday nights November 28, December 5 and December 12. The date switch will allow more riders and spectators to attend the competitive Industry Speedway events.
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