James Stewart Will Ride

Rumors have been swirling that San Manuel Yamaha's  James Stewart, the defending AMA Supercross Champion, might have to skip round three of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series due to injuries he suffered during his heat race last weekend at Phoenix. According to a source close to the team, however, the rumors are false. As of now, Stewart is expected to race. But James will skip tomorrow's scheduled press conference at Angel Stadium.

Stewart crashed hard in his heat race when he and Kyle Partridge crossed paths and went down heavily and had to be helped off the track with what was later revealed to be a "jammed" shoulder and wrist. (Partridge was not seriously injured.) Stewart still came back and won the LCQ, making it into the main event, where he would later tangle with Chad Reed and finish 15^th.

Stewart is reported to be quite sore from the crash, and he has opted to stay home in Florida an extra day and skip the Thursday press conference in order to continue with his physical therapy. He is expected to arrive in California Friday night.

Stewart's 15^th-place finish at Phoenix combined with his opening-round victory at Anaheim I has Stewart in seventh place in the series points standings, 16 points behind leader Ryan Dungey.