Ivan Stewart is The Ironman | Cars and Trucks

By JasonLancaster
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For off-road race fanatics, Ironman holds a meaning far beyond Stan Lee (creator of the Ironman comic) and Robert Downey, Jr (who portrayed the comic book hero). You could say the nickname was given to Ivan Stewart, whose career is the stuff of legend, but more accurately, Stewart laid claim to the nickname "Ironman" fair and square.

Stewart first became noticed in by off-road racing fans during the Ensenada 300 of 1973. His co-driver had broken his leg before the race, so Stewart recruited mechanic Eric Stah to drive shotgun, and together, the pair powered through the race's rigorous terrain for 300 miles in their Class 2 buggy, and won first place.

After almost 30 wins in 10 years, Stewart has joined the Toyota factory-sponsored team. In those 10 years, he moved up from Class 2 and won the Baja 100. Twice, he was the SCORE Driver of the Year, and the winner of the Baja 500.

Stewart kept his winning tradition behind the wheel of Toyota-powered, Precision Preparation Inc. Motorsports-built race trucks, where he won six class victories, including two SCORE World Championships. By the 1980s, the Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group (MTEG) had moved its events from the desert into the stadium, meaning new venues for Stewart/Toyota triumphs, and making off-road racing more popular and accessible than ever. With 17 wins, Stewart is the record holder for all-time MTEG wins.

The seventh year into his partnership with Toyota - 1990 - was a lucky one. Stewart was named SCORE and High Desert Racing Association (HDRA) Driver of the Year, Overall Driver's Champion, Unlimited Class Driver's Champion and Grand National Sport Truck Driver's Champion. Plus, he garnered a total of 11 wins along the way. Just three years later, he duplicated his SCORE Overall and Unlimited Class championships, and steered Toyota to its first Baja 1000 win. During that 1993 season, Stewart and Team Toyota took home the Crown Jewels of desert racing-the Baja 500, Baja 1000 and Nevada 400-marking the first time one manufacturer claimed victory in all three.

Moving up to the Trophy-Truck Class in 1994, Stewart took home the gold in the San Felipe 250, another Baja 500 and the Fireworks 250. The following year he was named Trophy-Truck Class Driver's Champion and added the Laughlin Challenge and Parker 400 to his list of victories. In the last three years of his racing career, he chalked up three more Baja 500 wins for a career total of 17 and one more Baja 1000 (his third). After 26 years in the dirt, the Ironman's victories totalled 84, with 10 driver's championships thrown in for good measure.

Stewart is now retired from racing, but he has maintained a high profile in the sport on two levels. First is as founder of the Protruck Racing Organization, a special class of spec trucks that participates at off-road events including the "Best in the Desert" Vegas to Reno run, the Baja 500, and the Pikes Peak hill climb. The series is a true driver's challenge with all the Protrucks incorporating the same components, and engine size limited to 360 cubic inches. Next, Stewart moved from real dirt to virtual dirt with his Super Off-Road arcade game developed for Nintendo and Sega and the Off-Road Challenge, released by Midway Home Entertainment and based on the SCORE desert series. All hail the Ironman - the greatest Toyota Tundra driver ever!

About the Author

The author Jason Lancaster operates TundraHeadquarters.com, a web site with information, news, and reviews of Toyota Tundra parts and Tundra accessories.

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