Central Arizona Raceway
Vertigo signals the end of Shaw's driving career
By Kevin Kovac
DirtonDirt senior writer
Don Shaw (Tyler Rinken photo)
CASA GRANDE, Ariz. — Don Shaw is in Central Arizona Raceway’s pit area for the entirety of the Rio Grande Waste Services Wild West Shootout, but he’s wearing street clothes rather than a firesuit.
The 62-year-old veteran from Ham Lake, Minn., is filling a role — driving coach for World of Outlaws NOS Energy Sprint Car star Donny Schatz’s nieces Amelia and Laila Eisenschenk — that’s wholly unexpected for a competitor who’s enjoyed success in the miniseries and has an especially intimate knowledge of the 3/8-mile Central Arizona oval that’s hosting the event for the first time in over a decade. | Complete WWS coverage
There’s a good reason, though, that Shaw is not behind the wheel.
“Doctor’s orders,” Shaw said.
Indeed, a recommendation from his physician following an examination several months ago has led Shaw to step out of the cockpit seemingly for good. He was informed that he should stop racing because of the cumulative effects of multiple concussions suffered throughout a driving career spanning over three decades.
Shaw said he didn’tvert experience any specific injury in an accident during his the 2025 season, but he started to become plagued periodically by vertigo, which causes a sensation of spinning or movement while still. He related that the issue has most notably arisen when he lies on the ground while working on his race car.
With doctors informing Shaw that he could be more susceptible to concussions and face more problems and longer recovery times if he suffers one, he decided to hang up his helmet. It’s a bittersweet development for the racer who has devoted so much time and effort into the sport that he loves, but he’s accepted his fate with grace.
“I had a good run,” Shaw said with a smile. “I got to do it a long time and had a lot of fun.”
Shaw would have certainly preferred to be part of the WWS roster this week considering he was one of the drivers most excited about the miniseries return to Arizona after spending the previous four years at Vado (N.M.) Speedway Park. The trucking company owner is a snowbird who spends much of the winter with his wife, Brenda, at a residence in Scottsdale, Ariz., about an hour’s drive from Central Arizona Raceway, so the WWS in the Grand Canyon State is almost like a home game for him.
What’s more, Shaw became a familiar face — and a solid contender — in the event over the years. He won his first WWS feature in 2013 at Central Arizona, which hosted two events that year, and captured back-to-back checkered flags in the 2018 edition at the now-closed Arizona Speedway in Queen Creek.
Shaw has also been involved at Central Arizona Raceway on the promotional end over the past three years, joining with track promoter Brad Whitfield to present the multirace Early Thaw headlined by Limited Late Models. The miniseries was scheduled for the weeks following the WWS and gave Shaw the opportunity to gain some serious intel on the track, which last year was reconfigured into a more sweeping layout with an outside wall.
“I’ve turned a lot of laps around this place,” Shaw said, “especially digging it up and running it in” as part of the track-prep crew.
Shifting gears for this year’s WWS in the wake of his medical diagnosis, Shaw agreed to spend the event tutoring the teenage Eisenschenk sisters from Fargo, N.D. He’s friendly with Schatz, of course, but he also viewed working with the up-and-coming siblings as an enjoyable way to keep him busy at Central Arizona.
“I like helping the younger drivers,” Shaw said. “It’s fun for me. I like helping them learn.”
Shaw has already sold three Dirt Late Models in his stable as he shrinks his program with his own racing days done. But he’s remaining in the game fielding equipment for Dave Mass of East Bethel, Minn., who served as Shaw’s crew chief for several years and now races successfully out of Shaw’s shop.
And Shaw has another notable position in the racing world that he’ll continue to fill: owner and promoter of I-94 EMR Speedway in Fergus Falls, Minn. He said he’ll now be able to put more of his energy into the track, which hosts a World of Outlaws Late Model Series event on June 24 among its bigger shows in 2026.
“It’s not easy racing and running a racetrack at the same time,” Shaw said. “I’m looking forward to having more time for the track. We have some big stuff planned.”
