Posted Saturday, January 31, 2026 at 9:12pm
Ryan Stewart never made it to his first track day after tricking out his Subaru WRX STI S209. He was killed by a drunk driver while changing a flat tire on the side of the road. While Stewart is no longer with us, his car will complete the journey to the track this weekend, after friends restored it in his honor, according to Fox 10.
Ravi Tomerlin of We Don’t Lift Racing in Tempe, Arizona, headed up the effort. Stewart was a regular at the shop, which helped outfit his rare S209 for the track. The car got sideswiped in the crash and was a total loss, but Tomerlin and his crew have been restoring it anyway. Part of their motivation comes from the S209 being such a rare model, but mostly it’s a labor of love. Tomerlin has a GoFundMe set up to help fund the restoration, but there was never any question in his mind that he would complete it, whatever the cost.
