Stewsday: Remembering His Only Indy Win and Big Moments

Welcome to Stewsday, we’re we’ve taken Tuesday and made it all about the legend James Stewart. Every week we’ll revisit some of our favorite Stew memories and reminisce on the good old days. This column is sponsored by Troy Dog who is always up to date on everything Stew.

I’ve been having a lot of fun going down memory lane and looking at all of Stews big races from each city on the tour. So, I decided to look through the results again and see what we had for Indy. Most of these I was in attendance for!

2006 Indy

Did you know that Stew’s first race in Indianapolis was 2006? He raced the West Region in 2002 and 2003, hit his head in practice in 2004 and sat out, and was hurt in 2005. So, his first race was in 2006 in the 450 class. He won his heat, then got a bad start in the main event. Ricky Carmichael was long gone by the time he got into second. Also, shoutout to Nick Wey for one of his best races. He was on it in 2006.

2007 Indy

Stews first win in Indy happened six years after he turned pro! Has he ever had a drought like this at another venue? Granted, he was hurt or racing the West Region most of that time, but still! I thought I was a bad luck charm for him. This one was a huge win for Stew. He was basically last off of the start and came through to pass Chad Reed, who he was more than eight seconds behind at one point! The whoop speed is next level and the triple, triple, triple was fast. He made this track his playground. I remember the RCA Dome being so loud for this race at the atmosphere was something I’ll never forget.

2009 Indy

This is the loudest I’ve ever heard Indy get. It was the first race in Lucas Oil Stadium and it was a banger! Stew fell twice on the night and gets second. Mike Alessi ends up with his only 450SX podium.

It’s crazy to think that Stew only won in Indianapolis ONE time in his career. He was definitely the fastest rider most years, but mistakes would cost him. Like I said, he made the stadium loud. Last year the battle between Ken Roczen and Justin Barcia reminded me of how loud a crowd can get. I hope this year is more of the same!

Main Image: Red Bull Content Pool