Grant is right in the thick of things

As he roared through the seventh lap of his first big-league supercross race two weeks ago, Josh Grant was startled by what he saw.

The race’s two favorites, Chad Reed and James Stewart, had just collided ahead of him and were now sprawled on the dirt track at Angel Stadium, desperately trying to restart their motorcycles.

“I knew those guys were on a fast pace, but I just kept my head down, being smooth and hitting all the jumps,” Grant said. “When I saw them lying down, I thought: ‘Wow, this is my chance to get it done,’ ” he said. “I took my time getting around them.”

Grant, running third at the time, did get it done, steering his Yamaha into a lead he never relinquished and earned his first win in the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series.

Stewart won the next race last weekend in Phoenix, with Reed second. But Grant, 22, finished third and remains atop the standings by three points over Reed as the series returns to Anaheim tonight.

Three of the first six races on the AMA off-road motorcycle racing schedule are at Angel Stadium, and “I’m really excited to be heading back to Anaheim again to race in front of my friends and family and keep this dream season rolling,” said Grant, who grew up in Riverside.

Indeed, Grant hoped to be competitive when the season opened, his first since graduating from the second-tier Supercross Lites division where he had raced since 2006. But the rookie wasn’t expected to be the points leader after two races.

Even the AMA’s media guide lists the “big four” of supercross as being Reed, the series’ defending champion; Stewart, who won the title in 2007; Kevin Windham; and Tim Ferry.

But Grant is making the most of his first year in supercross, and he has already handed his team, Joe Gibbs Racing, its first victory since it entered the sport last season.

The team was founded by Coy Gibbs, son of Hall of Fame NFL coach Joe Gibbs, whose NASCAR stock-car racing operation has won three Sprint Cup championships.

As the race in Phoenix showed, it’s still likely that Stewart and Reed will be fighting for this year’s title. Grant also doesn’t expect them to fall off their bikes in many more races.

“I can hopefully keep them honest by being smart and consistent,” Grant said. “The long-term goal is to look forward to that championship and at least be there at the end.”

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james.peltz@latimes.com