Profile On: Shane Stewart!
Monday, August 4, 2008
Shane Stewart: Roth Motorsports #83, Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Driver
by Joanne Cram
Bixby, Oklahoma’s own Shane Stewart has been tearing up the sprint car world for the past 17 years! The 32 year old driver now calls Indianapolis home with his wife, Kimberly. The two have made a life in racing, with Kimberly running a successful race uniform business- Race Gear X, and Shane racing all over the world.
It all started back in quarter midgets at the ripe old age of seven. Shane grew up with a racer for a father, so the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree. Mike Stewart raced super modifieds at Tulsa Speedway until 1982. Shane was destined for speed, so the quarter midget scene was where it all began. He raced quarter midgets until he was eleven, racking up several track championships around the Tulsa area. Shane had moved up to the AA class in quarter midgets, which was as fast as you can go in them. The need for speed took him further up the racing ladder to the Micro Midget class, which ran a 250 cc engine. Shane raced all over Oklahoma between t he ages of 12 to 15.
Then, at the age of 15, Shane decided he wanted to try out sprint cars. The family was good friends with another well known sprint car family, the Hillenberg’s. Andy Hillenberg had decided to take a year off sprint car racing in 1989, this allowed him to help out the Stewart’s. Together with Andy’s help, Shane and Mike put together a sprint car. For that first season, Shane ran out of Andy’s race shop, and ran races mostly around the Tulsa area. For the next four years, Shane ran a 410 around the Midwest with the NCRA and at tracks such as Oklahoma City, Wichita, Joplin, Hutchinson, and Bellville.
Then, when Shane graduated high school in 1995, he had enrolled in college. He was about a half year way from his degree, when he got the invitation of a lifetime- he was called down under. So, college took a back seat, and Shane hopped on a plane to Australia.
In 1997, Shane was driving the family #9 car, owned by his dad. He ran that car until 1999 with highlights of two Bellville Highbanks wins, 2 NCRA race wins, and 2nd in points at Tulsa Speedway.
Then in 2000, Junior Holbrook gave Shane the opportunity to drive for him in the World of Outlaw’s start up series; the Gumout Series. Shane recalls the tough competition that season, and ended up 6th in points.
2001 found Shane without a ride, as the Holbrook team decided to downsize. Shane worked f or Andy Hillenberg for half the season that year. Stewart was then called back to drive by Junior Holbrook, and back to the 8h he went. Racing with Holbrook for the remainder of the season, he finished with 14 feature wins, 2 Outlaw feature wins, and he made his first ever Knoxville Nationals start.
In 2002 Stewart continued to race with Holbrook in the Gumout Series. He ran 2nd in points to Tyler Walker and won several Gumout Features.
2003 and 2004 found Shane with a more flexible schedule. He drove for the 4m car of Scott Chillcutt. Rob Hart was the crew chief with wife Cathy Barrowns by his side. The three of them were able to pick and choose wherever they wanted to run races. They ran 360 and 410 races, just focusing on winning money and making A mains; and win, they did.
When the season wrapped up, Stewart received another call from Australia, this time is was Bill Mann, owner of the Q6 Performance Wholesale Sprint Car. Shane ran for Bill Mann and competed for the World Series Sprint Championship. He was 3rd in points, and got 2nd at the Classic- Australia’s version of the Knoxville Nationals. He also won the Adelaide Nationals while he was down under. He would return to Australia for the next 3 years.
The 2005 season started back the in Scott Chillcutt owned 4m. Shane hooked up with the Kevin Rudeen 26 sprint team out of Washington state in mid June. Shane won the prestigious $25k to win Dirt Cup in Alger, Washington. Chillcutt and Rudeen decided to join forces and put Stewart on the Outlaw tour full time where he earned the Rookie of the Year honors.
With the 2006 National Sprint Tour and World of Outlaw split- Shane was full time racing again with Rudeen’s 26 machine with the NST. It was a fiercely competitive season, and Stewart lacked in victories.
The following season, Rudeen was forced to cut back on his racing resources, and his traveling team was put to rest, leaving Shane out of a national touring ride for 2007.
When Shane arrived back to the USA from a 3 month race tour in Australia, he needed a ride. It was no time before former car owner Jr Holbrook gave him a call to drive the 8h for him and Larry Wood. Stewart would go on to win the Ohio Speedweek and won several All Star races including a race at Eldora. Halfway into the season Shane got a call from Paul Silva, crew chief of the Doyle Harley Davidson number 1 out of Oregon, to run the former NSCS sprint tour speed week. Shane cleaned house in the Doyle car that week and won his second consecutive Speedweek Title. The team then made their way to the Knoxville Nationals together, where he won the 360 Nationals, and finished the 410 Nationals at 16th, after blowing a motor. Stewart and Doyle then headed back towards the Pacific Northwest again at the end of August to run the World of Outlaws races where he won his first World of Outlaw race of the season,20then stayed through September for the Fred Brownfield Memorial Race at Gray’s Harbor Raceway in Elma, Washington. Shane again dominated the two day weekend of racing and won both nights.
Ultimately, Shane wanted to be on the road with the Outlaws. When Dennis Roth called over the winter, he hadn’t any sure plans for the 2008 season. Shane signed on to race the Roth Motorsports #83 on the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Tour. The beginning of the season was full of some struggles for the Roth Motorsports Team, but the months of May and June showed a lot of improvement, with Shane winning his first race of the season at Knoxville in June, putting Shane up to 8th place in the Championship Point Standings. The Roth Motorsports Team are gearing up for the 2008 Nationals, hoping for a front running Steve Kent Chassis, Kissler powered car.
Shane hopes to finish in the top 5 in World of Outlaws points and win at least 5 races with the Outlaws this season. In the long term, Stewart aims to win the World of Outlaws points championship some day.
When Shane has down time, he enjoys staying around home where he and his wife, Kimberly enjoy riding horses and playing golf, or traveling back home to Oklahoma to spend time with their families. The two have a Rottwieler, Mercedes as well to keep them busy.
Crewing on the Dennis and Theresa Roth car include crew chief Bonsai- aka Dean Bruns, and Kevin Loveys. Spon soring the 83 car are DTR Trucking, HR Cattle, HR Livestock Transportation, Weld, MPD, XYZ, Race Gear X, and Banshee.
(Pictured): Shane won the 2007 360 Nationals
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