George Stewart

George Stewart began racing BMX in 1980 at Hill Park in Independence, Missouri. He entered the sport during a period when Kansas City was producing an exceptional group of racers, and George immediately found himself surrounded by experienced competition.

He later described Mark Denton, Drew Jameson, Curt Bales, Todd Dean, and Brian Duff as:

“The Varsity Team when I started racing.”

Those were the established riders George saw when he entered BMX—the standard against which a new racer could measure his progress. George did more than join them. Over the following years, he worked his way through the amateur ranks and eventually reached AA Pro, the highest professional classification in ABA BMX.

George’s first race bike was a PK Ripper, and his first sponsorship came from Mike’s Bikes. He later raced for Jameson Distributing and Zeronine. Of all the bicycles he rode, the Zeronine remained his favorite and became the bike most closely associated with his racing career.

But George Stewart cannot be remembered through a list of bicycles, teams, and classifications alone. George was a racer and a comedian—one of the unforgettable personalities of Kansas City BMX. His friends remember his racing accomplishments, but they also remember the lucky Sunkist T-shirt, the mud at Lake Contrary, the flat tire outside Taco Bell, and the laughter that seemed to follow him everywhere.

The Lucky Sunkist T-Shirt

George’s lucky Sunkist T-shirt gained its fame during the first BMX road trip he and Drew Jameson made together in August 1980.

Drew’s mother and Mrs. Denton drove the riders as they raced at Beatrice, YMCA, Spinning Spokes, and Gnarlsbad. It was the kind of extended trip where racers and families spent enough time together to learn everyone’s habits, peculiarities, and superstitions.

For George, it was the Sunkist T-shirt.

It was not a team jersey or a piece of factory racing equipment. It was simply George’s lucky shirt. He wore it with enough faith—and often enough—that it became part of how an entire group of riders remembered him.

More than four decades later, when George’s name came up, Curt Bales immediately asked:

“Remember his lucky Sunkist T-shirt?”

Everyone did.

The Dirt Rider

Another enduring George Stewart memory was created at Lake Contrary BMX in St. Joseph, Missouri.

It had rained, leaving what was essentially a giant mud puddle between the first and second straights. George slid out in the first turn and found himself in the mud. He may have even rolled through it before coming to a stop.

When George returned to the pits, he sat on his bicycle covered in mud. Louis Izard, Drew Jameson’s stepfather, was standing behind George. After taking in the sight, Louis announced:

“The Dirt Rider.”

Louis then began walking away, adding:

“I’m glad he’s not riding in my car.”

“The Dirt Rider” was not a nickname created years later. It was Louis Izard’s perfectly timed description of George sitting in the pits after becoming personally acquainted with the Lake Contrary mud.

“I Guess I’ll Have to Do Log Rolls”

Around 1981, George was already creating the kind of road-trip stories his friends would remember for decades.

During the return trip from a race in Nebraska, five racers stopped at a Taco Bell after spending the day in hot, dusty conditions. They were tired, dirty, and looked like a group of filthy vagrants.

While outside, they noticed that one of the car’s tires was low. They also discovered they had no jack.

A family walked past them on its way into the restaurant, and the father made a snarky remark about the disheveled group. The racers followed them inside shortly afterward, ordered their food, and sat directly across from the man and his family.

George then delivered a full John Belushi-style performance. He began stuffing whole burritos into his mouth before looking at the father and asking:

“How much for the wife and the children?”

The family moved to another table.

When everyone returned outside, the low tire had become completely flat. The same family walked past again, and the father chuckled.

“How are you going to get home now?”

George responded without hesitation:

“Well, I guess I’ll have to do log rolls.”

He immediately lay down on the pavement and began rolling across the parking lot.

Soon afterward, another motorist pulled in and loaned them a jack. They changed the tire and returned to Kansas City, but the flat tire became secondary to the memory George created around it.

The National Professional Circuit

George continued progressing through the racing ranks until he reached AA Pro.

By 1985, George and Doug Prather were traveling the national professional BMX circuit together. Both had developed within the Kansas City BMX community, advanced into the professional ranks, and were now competing far beyond the local tracks where they began.

Their travels represented more than two individual racing careers. They reflected the close friendships formed within Kansas City BMX and the level of ability that had developed at its tracks. Riders who had once competed together locally were now carrying Kansas City’s name onto the national circuit.

More Than a Racing Record

George also contributed to the community surrounding the racing. He was among the riders and volunteers who helped build and operate Optimist VFW BMX, joining friends who were creating another place for Kansas City riders to race and develop.

His progression from Hill Park to AA Pro secured his place in the competitive history of Kansas City BMX. He raced under both IBMA and ABA sanctioning, represented Mike’s Bikes, Jameson Distributing, and Zeronine, and traveled the national professional circuit with Doug Prather.

Yet an official racing record preserves only part of George Stewart’s story.

His friends remember the lucky Sunkist T-shirt. They remember Louis Izard looking at a mud-covered George and declaring him “The Dirt Rider.” They remember George answering a stranger’s insult by dropping to the pavement and performing log rolls beside a car with a flat tire.

They remember the racer, but they also remember the comedian and showman who made every trip more memorable.

That is why, decades later, the mention of his name could still produce Mark Denton’s immediate reaction:

“STEWIE! OMG!”

Career at a Glance

First Track Hill Park

First Bike PK Ripper

Favorite Bike Zeronine

Sanctions

IBMA, ABA

First Sponsor Mike’s Bikes

Teams

Mike’s Bikes, Jameson Distributing, Zeronine