Dom McConnell made his first trip to the Rush Enterprises Tech Skills Rodeo in 2023. He didn’t place, but the experience imprinted on him. He wanted to return.
He did. McConnell made it back to San Antonio for last year’s contest, and though he didn’t place once again, McConnell learned more about the Rodeo structure and the importance of following procedure and communicating his actions with event judges.
He also got engaged on the Riverwalk.
Coming to Nashville this week for his third competition, McConnell knew he’d set the bar high with his 2024 Rodeo Experience. He said his goal was to make the finals.
But riding on the experiences of past Rodeos, with his fiancé cheering him on and his wedding just weeks away, everything clicked into place for the Rush Truck Centers – Orlando South technician, who won the Medium-Duty, Peterbilt, and Medium-Duty Grand Championship en route to being named the all-around Grand Champion at the 20th anniversary Rodeo Tuesday at the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville.
“It feels amazing. I never would have thought” it possible, McConnell said.
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McConnell credited his prior experiences for informing him about how to score well at the Rodeo, but also acknowledged the work he’s put in throughout his career to learn and maximize his training opportunities, giving him the best chance to score high.
“This is why it’s so important to make sure that you’re reading up on all the new stuff, studying up on all the new information and keeping up on everything new,” he said. “The biggest thing is just read, read, read. Absorb that knowledge so that when you’re working on a truck, you’re not just taking a guess. You’re taking an educated guess based on what you know from the information [from the manufacturer].”
During Monday and Tuesday’s contest, he said he kept his focus on transparency with the judges. McConnell said in all three trips to the Rodeo he has been able to diagnose and fix the truck but he hadn’t yet perfected showing his work to the evaluators.
“You know, the first couple times I came here, I was focused more on fixing the truck as fast as possible rather than following the procedures correctly,” he said. “These procedures are ingrained in my mind by now, but I needed to make sure the judge knew that I knew them. So this year I made sure to just tell him every single thing I was doing and I guess it worked out.”
As all-around Grand Champion, McConnell went home with $18,500 in total winnings and prizes. Not bad with the ceremony less than three weeks away.
“Got a little extra spending money now,” he said.
Top winners at the 2025 Rush Enterprises’ Tech Skills Rodeo
Grand Champions:
- Grand Champion, Heavy-Duty Service: Nat Dixon, Rush Truck Centers – Joplin
- Grand Champion, Medium-Duty Service: Dom McConnell, Rush Truck Centers – Orlando South
- Grand Champion, Parts: Eric Valenzuela, Rush Truck Centers – Joliet
- Grand Champion, Aftermarket Sales: Ryan Summers, Rush Truck Centers – Denver
- Grand Champion, Truck Sales: Steven Nace, Rush Truck Centers – Smyrna
Reserve Champions:
- Reserve Grand Champion, Heavy-Duty Service: Paul Crawford, Rush Truck Centers – Haines City
- Reserve Grand Champion, Medium-Duty Service: Joe Behrend, Rush Truck Centers – Idaho Falls
- Reserve Grand Champion, Parts: Aaron Van Straten, Rush Truck Centers – Houston Northwest
- Reserve Grand Champion, Aftermarket Sales: Francisco Ferrara, Rush Truck Centers – Greeley
More than 2,700 technicians completed over 4,600 tests in advance of the Rodeo, and more than 220 competitors came to Nashville for this week’s anniversary event.
With 800 people in attendance Tuesday evening, Rush Enterprises gave away nearly $300,000 in cash and prizes, bringing the Tech Skills Rodeo’s total prize money over its two-decade run to $3.5 million.
