MOTOR RACING / OFF-ROAD AT ROSE BOWL : Stewart Ready to Leave Behind Runner-Up Role

Ivan Stewart won so many stadium races last year that it seems as if he’s in a slump now. There have been two Mickey Thompson Off-Road Championship Grand Prix, and Stewart and his Toyota haven’t won a Grand National sport truck race yet.

Even so, Stewart, from Alpine, Calif., is tied for the points lead with Nissan driver Roger Mears of Bakersfield, winner of the year’s opening event at Anaheim Stadium. Stewart finished second to Mears and second again, to Walker Evans’ Dodge, at San Diego.

“Second-place finishes are fine for the point standings, but winning races is the reason I’m out here,” Stewart said. “I want to get that first one behind me, and the Rose Bowl is the place to do it.”

The third round of the Thompson off-road series will be held tonight in the Rose Bowl with the trucks sharing the program with UltraStocks, Super 1600 buggies, four-wheel ATVs, Superlites and UltraCross motorcycles. The first race is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

“It’s going to be difficult for anyone to repeat the kind of a year we had in 1990,” Stewart said. “But I’m confident I’ll get my share of wins this season. My main goal right now is to take the points lead away from Roger.”

Stewart won five stadium races last year and also became the first man to win the stadium and desert championships in the same year. He is the defending champion in the Rose Bowl.

“We had lady luck on our side last year when Danny (Thompson) broke when he was leading on the ninth lap,” Stewart recalled. “The Rose Bowl track is usually narrow, which makes it one of our most difficult races. You have to do well in both heats to get a good position for the main event, or you’ll be stuck in the back of the pack.”

Mears, the 1985 series champion, lost his first-round lead at San Diego when he finished behind Stewart in both heats and then placed fifth in the main event. The leaders each have 111 points to 90 for Evans and 84 for Rod Millen, Stewart’s Toyota teammate.

“It’s been awhile since we’ve led the standings, but I think we have a good chance of staying there,” Mears said. “We’ve made some significant changes to our Nissan that should result in one of our best seasons. It was a great feeling (at Anaheim) to know my truck was competitive.”

Mears, who has nine victories to a record 11 for Stewart in the Thompson series, is again teamed with his son, Roger Jr., in Nissans.

Other truck contenders include Thompson and Greg George in Chevrolets and Rob MacCachren and Dan Esslinger in Fords.