Ironman Stewart retires, sells all

The off-road racing accomplishments of Ivan "Ironman" Stewart might never be matched: 82 major wins in desert racing, 17 of them in the crash-and-bang Mickey Thompson stadium series, three Baja 1000s and others too numerous to squeeze in here over a career that spanned 30 years.

The thing that really sets him apart is that, while competitors shared driving duties over the long desert courses, Stewart did the vast majority of them alone, with no relief drivers--just him and the dirty, dusty desert.

But even legends want to retire someday. For the 64-year-old Stewart, that time has come. He is selling pretty much everything he has that is racing-related, from memorabilia to race-ready desert trucks.

The biggest of the items will be sold at Stewart's ProTruck facility in El Cajon, Calif., on Saturday. He started ProTruck when he retired from driving in 2000. Since then, ProTruck has built 53 spec racing trucks. One of them will be for sale. So will Stewart's stadium race truck, his original 1973 Chenowth buggy and his personal 1967 Mercury M100 pickup, restored by the Ironman himself.

The entire ProTruck business is on the block, too, with all the naming rights necessary to carry on the legend. It includes MIG and TIG welders, forklifts, compressors, tool boxes, metal racks, parts, pipes and pieces.

The Saturday auction will include memorabilia, from signed photos to the first of Stewart's Off Road video arcade games. About 150 lots will cross the block on Saturday. On Sunday, 500 items will be sold online.

The auction is being handled by the McCormack Auction Co., online at www. mccormackauction.com. The Saturday sale will be at 14402 Bond Court in El Cajon.

By Mark Vaughn