Favorites crash to give Grant a pass

By Jim Peltz

Jan. 4, 2009 12 AM PT

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Josh Grant of Riverside won a wild season opener in supercross Saturday night after favorites Chad Reed and James Stewart crashed into each other on the Angel Stadium track.

Stewart, the 2007 champion who missed most of last season because of a knee injury, and Reed, last year’s title winner, swapped the early lead in the 15-lap main event of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series.

As they raced side-by-side on the sixth lap, they clipped each other and tumbled to the ground, allowing Grant to inherit the lead and win his first supercross race before 42,309.

Reed managed to restart his Suzuki. But as Stewart struggled to restart his Yamaha, he was struck again, this time by the Honda of Kevin Windham.

Stewart again slowly climbed back onto his bike and tried to restart it, but the motorcycle would not respond and a dejected Stewart pulled off his helmet and walked from the track.

Reed managed to climb back through the 20-rider field to finish third, behind Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto.

Stewart and Reed “got tangled up and I took advantage of it,” said Grant, who rides for the Joe Gibbs Racing team well known in NASCAR. “I’m just so excited.”

Villopoto also won one of the two eight-lap qualifying heats and Stewart won the other.

In the Supercross Lites division, Jake Weimer of Rupert, Idaho, held off Ryan Morais of Murrieta to win the 15-lap main event. Supercross is the stadium version of motocross, or off-road motorcycle racing, and the bikes race on a winding, hilly track that’s created on the stadium’s infield with tons of trucked-in dirt.

The next two races at Angel Stadium are Jan. 17 and Feb. 7.

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Supercross schedule

Saturday: Phoenix, Chase Field

Jan. 17: Anaheim, Angel Stadium

Jan. 24: Houston, Reliant Stadium

Jan. 31: San Francisco, AT&T; Park

Feb. 7: Anaheim, Angel Stadium

Feb.14: San Diego, Qualcomm Stadium

Feb. 21: Atlanta, Georgia Dome

Feb. 28: Indianapolis, Lucas Oil Stadium