McConville began racing go-karts at age eight, progressing through local and national championships to win several Victorian titles. At fifteen he became the youngest holder of a CAMS racing licence with a brief stint in Formula Vee, then moved to Formula Ford in 1991. In 1992, as the works Van Diemen driver, he won the Motorcraft Formula Ford Driver to Europe Series, beating future champions Craig Lowndes and Steven Richards. He was the youngest winner of the series to that point.
The victory attracted the attention of Dick Johnson Racing, who gave McConville a testing role and included him in the driver lineup for the 1992 Tooheys 1000, sharing a Ford Sierra RS500. Race conditions led the team to opt for the more experienced co-driver pairing for the actual race. McConville returned to Bathurst for the 1993 Tooheys 1000, sharing a Ford EB Falcon V8 with Paul Radisich for Dick Johnson Racing. While running third, McConville went sideways over Skyline and hit the wall; the car was repaired and the pair finished eighth.
After several seasons with smaller teams, McConville won the 1996 Australian GTP championship in a Porsche 993 RSCS, defeating championship favourite Jim Richards in the final race. In 1997 he was chosen to replace Greg Murphy as Audi Australia's works driver, finishing third in the Australian Super Touring Championship. He narrowly missed the 1998 championship in controversial circumstances, beaten by team owner Brad Jones.
A strong endurance co-drive at the 1999 Bathurst 1000 for the Holden Racing Team alongside championship leader Craig Lowndes, finishing second, earned McConville a full-time contract with Rod Nash Racing for 2000. He subsequently drove for the Sydney-based Lansvale racing team from 2001, impressing in underfunded machinery.
In 2002 he won the Bathurst 24 Hour race in a Holden Monaro for the Garry Rogers Motorsport outfit, which led to a full-time contract with the team from 2004. His first championship race win came at Winton Raceway that year. In 2005 he became the team's lead driver following Garth Tander's departure, then moved to Supercheap Auto Racing alongside Greg Murphy in 2006.
From 2007 McConville added a motorsport reporting role with Channel Ten, including co-hosting Formula One coverage. In 2008 he joined Brad Jones Racing driving the number 14 Holden Commodore, opening the year with a third at the Adelaide 500. Following a serious crash at the Phillip Island 500K and the end of his television role with Channel 10, McConville announced his retirement from full-time racing at the end of the 2009 season.
Changes to V8 Supercar endurance regulations made McConville a sought-after co-driver from 2010. He co-drove an HSV R8 Tourer to third at the 2010 Bathurst 12 Hour, returned to the Holden Racing Team as an endurance co-driver, and drove for the Eggleston Motorsport team in the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series ahead of the endurance rounds. In 2011 he was a last-minute replacement for the injured Jason Bright at the Falken Tasmania Challenge with Team BOC, starting from the rear of the field.
McConville served as colour commentator for Network Ten's Australian Formula One coverage until the end of the 2009 season. He had previously written for several magazines and presented television programs. He has also been publicly rumoured to be the identity of The Stig in Top Gear Australia.
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