Stewart Friesen, a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver, is lucky to be alive after fracturing his pelvis, breaking a leg and sustaining other injuries in a fiery wreck on a dirt track in Quebec on Monday night.
The 42-year-old is in a ‘tremendous amount of pain,’ according to a statement from his wife, Jessica.
‘Stewart has suffered an unstable/open-book pelvic fracture, meaning his pelvis is broken in two or more places, with a large hematoma on the area,’ she wrote. ‘He also has a fractured right leg. Both of these injuries will require surgery. Stewart was transferred to a larger hospital this morning for these procedures.’
The good news is that the Ontario native is alert and was talking to track officials before being transported to a local hospital. And best of all: Friesen avoided any head, neck or spinal injuries.
That would come as a major surprise to anyone who witness the crash at the Autodrome Drummond in Drummondville, Quebec, which has since gone viral.
Footage from the Super DIRTcar Series race shows Friesen’s Big Block Modified class car sliding into the outer wall after slightly bumping into another vehicle coming out of a corner on the 16th lap of the race. Friesen’s car was then launched upwards and did several flips before colliding with rivals Alex Yankowski and Justin Stone, according to FrontStretch.com.
Footage from the Super DIRTcar Series race shows Friesen’s Big Block Modified class car sliding into the outer wall after slightly bumping into another vehicle coming out of a corner
Friesen’s car was then launched upwards and did several flips before colliding with rivals
Friesen suffered multiple fractures to his pelvis and legs during Monday’s crash in Quebec
As reported by Phil Allaway, the multiple fractures made it difficult to get Friesen to be stabilized and removed from his vehicle, which ultimately took around 30 minutes.
A four-time winner on the NASCAR Truck Series, Friesen recently won a race in Michigan that qualified him for the circuit’s upcoming playoffs.
That, of course, is now in question as Friesen faces multiple surgeries and a potential lengthy recovery period.
Friesen’s participation in a dirt-track race isn’t a surprise, even given his status on a national circuit like the Craftsman Truck Series.
NASCAR and Indy Car drivers have long been known to take part in various local racing scenes during gaps in their respective schedules.
Infamously, former NASCAR and Indy Car driver Tony Stewart was racing on a dirt track in Canandaigua, New York in 2014 when he collided with rival Kevin Ward Jr., who had exited his vehicle after a wreck and walked onto the track. Ward was sent flying to his death, leading many to blame Stewart.
Stewart was later sued over the incident, and while he denied any wrongdoing, he and the Ward family ultimately settled out of court.
