Stewart Tries to Blow Out Candles on Baja 500 Again

People celebrate birthdays in different ways. When they’re young, it’s ice cream, cake and balloons. Later, perhaps a cruise to Catalina, or the Caribbean.

Ivan Stewart celebrates his birthdays south of the border, Baja style.

The Ironman of desert racing turns 50 this weekend and, as is his habit, will be in Ensenada, in quest of yet another victory in the SCORE Baja 500’s Trophy-Truck race on Saturday. The veteran racer from Alpine, Calif., has won it 13 times.

Since joining Cal Wells in 1983, Stewart has driven a Toyota truck to six consecutive class championships and four successive overall victories in one of desert racing’s classic events.

“I always look forward to driving the long, rough courses like we have in the Mexican desert,” Stewart said before leaving for his racing birthday party. “I prefer endurance races, like the 500, to the shorter 250-mile races we have been running lately in SCORE. The longer races reveal the true strength and durability of the driver and his equipment.”

Wells, who spent most of May at Indianapolis preparing an Indy car for Hiro Matsushita, who finished 10th in the 500, will be back with Stewart this weekend.

“Working with Frank and Butch Arciero in getting Hiro ready for Indy was the thrill of a lifetime, but my roots are in desert racing and as long as Ivan wants to keep running, we’ll have a Toyota truck ready for him,” Wells said.

The truck, powered by a V-6, 3.5-liter, 12-valve, single overhead cam engine, was designed, assembled and tested in Wells’ shop in Santa Margarita.

Stewart, dispelling rumors that he might retire after reaching 50, recently signed with Wells for three more seasons of desert racing.

Robby Gordon, a two-time Baja 500 winner in 1989-90 before he became an Indy car driver, will miss this year’s event because he will be driving in the 200-mile Indy Car event Sunday in Milwaukee.

The Trophy-Truck race will be held independently of the Tecate SCORE Baja 500 off-road race, although both events will be run about the same time over a 410-mile course that starts in Ensenada and finishes in Santo Tomas. More than 200 vehicles are expected for the 26th running of the event.

Motor Racing Notes

INDY CARS--The new Indy Racing League has lured the New England 200 at New Hampshire International Speedway into its series for 1996. The mile oval in Loudon, N.H., will be the fifth racing site for the IRL.

MOTOCROSS--Jeremy McGrath of Murrieta will try to become the all-time winner of Supercross races when he climbs on his Honda 250 Saturday night in San Jose’s Spartan Stadium. McGrath, who won two weeks ago in Cleveland when he also clinched his third national championship, and Rick Johnson are tied in victories at 28. McGrath, 23, is in only his third year of Supercross. It took Johnson six seasons to reach 28.

STOCK CARS--Saugus Speedway will have NASCAR late models, pure stocks, Grand Am modifieds and an Ego Challenge on Saturday night. . . . Street stocks and IMCA modifieds will run Friday night at Ventura Raceway.

SPRINT CARS--Wingless cars of the Sprint Car Racing Assn. will be at Bakersfield Speedway on Saturday night. . . . On the same night, winged cars of the Golden State Challenge series will be at Santa Maria Speedway. . . . IMCA sprint cars and dwarf cars will race at Ventura Raceway on Saturday night.

MIDGETS--U.S. Auto Club western regional full and TQ midgets will share the program Saturday night at Cajon Speedway in El Cajon.

MISCELLANY--The Porsche Owners Club of Southern California will hold its second annual Tribute to LeMans this weekend at Willow Springs Raceway. A three-hour night race Saturday will have a field of 34 Porsches.