Stewart Comes Away With Off-Road Win

Rod Millen’s season began historically a month ago in Anaheim when he became only the second driver to sweep both heat races and the main event in the Grand National sport truck class.

But Millen did a crash and burn with the Rough Driving Committee Saturday night at the Mickey Thompson Off-Road Championship Gran Prix.

That opened the way for Millen’s Toyota teammate, San Diego native Ivan (Ironman) Stewart to win for the first time on his home dirt after finishing second two years in a row. The victory came in front of an event-record 43,374 at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

“It took a long time to get here, it sure feels good,” Stewart said.

The race was re-started on the 10th lap when Roger Mears Jr.’s Nissan flipped on its side and caught fire.

That allowed Stewart to line up again behind Ford’s Rob MacCachren, then he took the option lane for the first time in the race. Stewart beat MacCachren through some moguls, took his line and MacCachren jumped the wall. Stewart then held off Roger Mears and took the monkey off his back.

Millen might have won had he avoided a tangle with Stewart, from Alpine, in the first heat race. Millen crossed the finish line first, but it was at Stewart’s expense as well as his own.

Stewart was about to win the heat, but as he turned left in the final corner, Millen--coming off a jump--rammed Stewart dead center. Stewart rolled about 90 feet into the wall, coming to rest on his wheels about 60 feet from the finish line, and Millen took the checkered flag--for about 15 minutes. Then the penalties hit.

Millen forfeited the 26 points he won in the heat, and had to start last in the second heat. He originally was supposed to start last in the main event, but that penalty was reduced, so he started in the position he earned, on the third row instead of the sixth.

The committee’s decision came down after the second heat and Millen--who finished sixth in the 12-truck field--was not allowed to keep any of his passing points.

Finally, he was put on probation for an undetermined period.

Before the slight reduction in the penalty, Stewart said through a release from Toyota pit that the penalty against his teammate was “way too harsh.”

Racing Notes

In other classes, San Diego’s Tommy Croft (Jeep) won the UltraStock main event, ahead of Brian Collins (Porsche) and Dana Point’s Jack Millerd (Jeep). “I lost my goggles on the first lap,” Croft said, “I had to get in front; I couldn’t see.”

Santee’s Marty Hart beat El Cajon’s Jimmie Johnson, 16, in the SuperLite main, then Hart dashed off to race the Super 1,600s. Hart also won both of his heat races. . . . In the Super 1,600s, Frank Arciero Jr., took first. Hart finished eighth.

El Cajon’s Larry Brooks (Yamaha) and Mike Craig (Kawasaki) went back and forth in the UltraCross (250cc motorcycles), but Brooks won the local bragging rights. Santee’s Tommy Clowers (Kawasaki) was third. . . . Hemet’s Mark Ehrhardt (Honda) won the Skat Trak ATV race.

The previous high attendance for an Off-Road Gran Prix in San Diego was 43,162 in 1990. . . . There were three re-starts in the controversial first heat of the Grand National sport trucks. . . . Earlier in the day, Rod Millen’s older brother, Steve, drove a Nissan 300ZX to an Exxon Supreme Series GTS/GTO/GTU victory at the Miami Grand Prix. . . . Rob MacCachren (Ford) won both Grand National heats, the beneficiary of Millen’s disqualification in the first heat.

Encinitas’ Rick Johnson, who became a father for the first time on Thursday and was making his Grand National debut, was a non-factor in the heat races, finishing sixth and eighth, though his accident in the second race took a victory away from Roger Mears, who had just passed Greg George and Walker Evans. Officals re-started the race with the positions before Johnson’s accident, and they erroneously put Evans in the lead. . . . Said Johnson: “These guys are a lot more serious come race time. My initial observation is that not many drive around people, they go through them.”

Tim Flannery and Brian Sipe finished 1-2 in a celebrity race in Mini-Mags.