Automotive Journal

For die-hard fans of off-road racing, the word “Ironman” doesn’t conjure images of Robert Downey, Jr in a tight metal suit, or Stan Lee, who created the Ironman comic series. They’ll think of Ivan Stewart, whose legendary career has earned him the nickname of “Ironman.”

Stewart’s first big break was at the 1973 Ensenada 300. His co-driver broke his leg before the race, so Stewart found mechanic Earl Stah to drive shotgun, and powered through 300 miles of rough terrain in the Class 2 buggy to win the race.

Nearly 30 wins and 10 years later, Stewart joined forces with the Toyota factory-sponsored team. In those 10 years, he moved up from Class 2, won the Baja 1000, the Baja 500 twice and was named SCORE Driver of the Year twice.

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.

Stewart won the San Felipe 250, Baja 500 and Fireworks 250 in 1994, when he moved up to the Trophy Truck Class. He was named Trophy-Truck Class Driver’s Champion, and added victories in the Laughlin Challenge and Parker 400 to his repertoire. In the last three years of his career, Stewart won three more Baja 500 races for a total of 17 in his career, and one more Baja 1000 for a career total of three. After over a quarter-century of racing, the Ironman had won over 84 titles and 10 driver’s championships.

Stewart has retired from racing, but he still maintains a high profile in the sport in two ways. The first is as founder of the Protruck Racing Organization, which is a special class of spec trucks that participate in off-road events such as the “Best in the Desert” Vegas to Reno run, the Baja 500, and the Pikes Peak hill climb. It’s a genuine driver’s challenge, with all the Protrucks using the same components, and an engine size cap of 360 cubic inches. Secondly, Stewart has collaborated with Midway Home Entertainment to create a Super Off-Road arcade game based on the SCORE desert series, run on Nintendo and Sega consoles. Three cheers to Ivan Stewart, Toyota Tundra’s greatest driver ever!