OFF-ROAD RACING COLISEUM EVENT : Better Late Than Never as Stewart Wins Feature

Stadium off-road racing’s first unscheduled three-day program droned to an end early Sunday morning when Ivan Stewart went wire-to-wire in his Toyota to win the Grand National sport truck feature of the Mickey Thompson Gran Prix series in the Coliseum.

After qualifying Friday and two heat races Saturday night, the 12-lap main event did not start until midnight. More than half of the crowd of 47,027 had already left, but they didn’t miss much.

Stewart, the defending series champion from Alpine, Calif., got off the line ahead of pole-sitter Rob MacCachren of Las Vegas and, although challenged in the early laps, never lost his lead. MacCachren’s bid for a third consecutive victory ended on the seventh lap when his Ford truck had ignition failure and quit behind the peristyle arches.

It was Stewart’s first victory in seven races and the first for his Toyota V6, which was built new for this season. It also brought him to within 32 points of Walker Evans of Riverside, who finished third. Danny Thompson of Wilmington, in a Chevrolet, was second.

Greg George of Alta Loma became the winningest driver in Thompson Gran Prix history when he won his 17th main event in a Superlite vehicle. George, also seventh in the truck final, broke a deadlock at 16 with UltraStock driver Jeff Elrod of San Jose.

Mercedes Gonzales of Canyon Country, by finishing third as George’s Superlite teammate, became the highest finishing female driver since the Thompson series began in 1979 in the Coliseum.

The Super 1600 final finished as it started with Frank Arciero Jr. of Laguna Hills, Marty Coyne of Lemon Grove and Bob Gordon of Orange running 1-2-3 for the entire 12 laps.