Stewart’s bum knee gives Reed leg up

The return of James Stewart to Supercross will have to wait a few more months.

The reigning Supercross champion says he has recovered from arthroscopic surgery Aug. 26 to repair his injured left knee surgery, but realized Friday he needed more time to prepare for competition.

He was a late entry Wednesday into the U.S. Open at the MGM Grand Garden, but after two 15-minute practice sessions late Friday afternoon he decided to pull out of the event that will pay tonight’s champion $100,000.

That left the door open for Australian Chad Reed to dominate Friday night’s 20-lap main event by leading runner-up Grant Langston of Clermont, Fla., from start to finish.

Stewart, who won last year’s Open, said he’s “100 percent healthy” but had reservations about his endurance because he only resumed riding three weeks ago.

“I am fully recovered from my knee injury, but the problem is that I haven’t been riding consistently and I just got back on the bike a few weeks ago. If I get tired, there is a greater chance of getting hurt,” Stewart, 21, said after practice for the two-night event.

This would have been his first race since July 29 in Washougal, Wash., when he injured his knee.

Stewart said his focus is the January opener in Supercross and the priority to defend his title.

This year he won 13 of 16 races. He finished second in this summer’s first five AMA Motocross events and won the seventh before being injured in the eighth and missing the last four events.

“I haven’t had the time to prepare since we decided that I would race just two days ago,” he said. “It’s not worth going out and getting hurt.”

Without Stewart and Rickie Carmichael, who pulled out because of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Reed, a two-time Open champ, was left as the favorite. He lived up to that by earning a $50,000 bonus for winning the pole, the feature race and being the first to make it to the first turn.

Combined results from Friday and tonight will determine the Open champion.