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NASCAR Driver Stewart Friesen Takes Massive Step On Road To Recovery

Jared Turner Written by Sports EditorJared Turner
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Stewart Friesen

Nearly four-and-a-half months removed from an extracurricular racing accident that left him with major injuries, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Stewart Friesen is walking unassisted.

Friesen — who suffered a broken right leg, pelvis, hip and C7 vertebrae — underwent multiple surgeries and has undergone extensive rehabilitation in the weeks and months since his horrifying crash that immediately left onlookers fearing the worst.

But now, Friesen, who missed the final nine races of the truck season while in recovery, is moving about without the aid of crutches.

Stewart Friesen Appears To Be Walking Quite Well, All Things Considered

Although Stewart Friesen has given no timetable for a return to racing, the 42-year-old Canadian’s latest health update — which he recently shared on X — is the most encouraging sign yet that he may be able to get behind the wheel again.

In case you missed Friesen’s post, here it is:

That video clip appears pretty promising. Especially when you consider just how terrifying his wreck looked.

Undoubtedly, it could have been much worse. And Friesen is no doubt blessed to still be here — much less walking around without support.

In case you never actually saw the wreck, it’s available for viewing below. Just be advised: It’s still pretty hard to stomach. So, watch at your own risk.

So, Why Was Stewart Friesen Running A Dirt-Track Race In Canada?

As both a co-owner and driver for Halmar Friesen Racing, Stewart Friesen faces no restrictions in the types of events he can enter. That means he’s free to drive — and occasionally does drive — a Dirt Modified that Halmar Friesen Racing fields along with its fleet of NASCAR Camping World Truck Series vehicles.

On the night of July 28, Friesen was running a Super DIRTcar Series race at Autodrome Drummond in the Canadian province of Quebec when his Big Block Modified entry wrecked violently.

Although awake and alert moments after the accident, which all but completely destroyed the car, Friesen learned about the severity of his injuries shortly after being hospitalized that same night.

He returned home to Sprakers, New York more than a week later after undergoing procedures to reconstruct both a shattered pelvis and the fibula and tibia of his right leg. And home is where he’s been hiding out almost ever since, in an effort to nurse his injuries and heal as quickly as possible.

However, Friesen did make an appearance at New Hampshire Motor Speedway during the September NASCAR weekend. Despite needing crutches to get from Point A to Point B at that time, Friesen seemed optimistic about his outlook.

“It’s good,” he said during a TV interview with FOX Sports. “I’m at least mobile enough to be here. It’s only four hours from home. And it’s great to be back and see all these guys, not necessarily on our team, even, but the people I’ve met in the last 10 years doing this.

“It’s good to see everyone in the garage. So many people have reached out and said they were thinking of us. It’s been so cool to have the support of the racing community.”

Jared Turner Written by Sports EditorJared Turner
Jared Turner is a motorsports writer who has covered NASCAR for 20 years. He has interviewed over 20 NASCAR Hall of Famers and around 100 drivers, crew chiefs, and team owners, both past and present. He has also covered the sport for FOX Sports (where he was a two-time recipient of the FOX “X” Award for “Xtraordinary” job performance), NASCAR.com, Sporting News, NASCAR Pole Position Magazine, the SPEED network, and plenty of other online and print-only publications throughout his career. Notably, Jared has penned dozens of articles for NASCAR souvenir programs, including several featured prominently in Daytona 500 keepsakes. A Virginia Press Association award winner and former member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA), Jared has racked up accolades both for his writing and his academic work. He studied both Communication and Psychology at Virginia Tech, where he was permanently enshrined in Phi Beta Kappa — the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society. Jared excels at feature writing and opinion writing, much of which stems from his dedication to all levels of racing.
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