NASCAR has witnessed some bone-chilling incidents this year. Connor Zilisch, the Xfinity Series rookie and top championship contender, suffered two of them. In Talladega, he incurred a lower-back injury after a head-on impact with the wall. Then, in Watkins Glen, Zilisch broke his collarbone in a nasty fall at Victory Lane. His swift comeback after each instance may have been deceiving. However, a Craftsman Truck Series star, Stewart Friesen, lets us know exactly how difficult rehabilitation can be.
Two months ago, Stewart Friesen was on the brink of being a solid championship contender. However, neither was he able to return to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series nor continue his playoff hunt after a freakish accident. After several weeks, the driver provided us with some positive updates.
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Stewart Friesen delves into his ailing health
On July 28th, Stewart Friesen was not in the country. He was competing in a Super DIRTcar Series race at Autodrome Drummond in Drummondville, Quebec, Canada. That was when disaster befell him; his No. 44 car tipped onto its right side, hit the wall, and barrel-rolled over the barrier several times before catching fire. Then a competitor struck him, sealing the final stage of the damage. Officials helped Friesen out of his car and to the hospital.
Stewart Friesen suffered multiple fractures to his pelvis and right leg. Considering the surgery and time of recovery involved, Friesen even chose not to pursue a waiver for his NASCAR season. However, Friesen was spotted at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, almost 7 weeks after his accident. And his golden words to Bob Pockrass should be music for fans’ ears: “I’m doing okay! It’s better to be back in my garage amongst friends and peers.”
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Then Stewart Friesen dove into the icky details of his medical procedure. Trust me, it does not sound nice at all despite his reassurance: “I got a lot of numbness on my foot and some weird shooting nerve, which we’re not really sure what exactly was the cause of that right now. The surgeon did an awesome job…putting my leg and pelvis back together. But this is just something we’re dealing with, which is minor. So it could have been obviously a lot worse.”
The four-time Craftsman Truck Series race winner was in a wheelchair. Bob Pockrass asked him about the need for that, and Stewart Friesen detailed how difficult the recovery actually is. He said, “I definitely need a wheelchair. But there’s no way in heck that I’m letting all these people in this garage see me wheel through this garage here. Still don’t have much feeling in my right foot and not that much mobility. Um…I just got cleared two days ago to be weight-bearing on it. If I tried, I’d probably fall right up to my ass. The physical therapy will help with just being out and moving around. Hopefully, I can regain some strength.”
And upon regaining strength, we can be sure that Stewart Friesen will resume his driving duties as soon as possible. After all, his presence in New Hampshire despite being in a wheelchair points to his overflowing enthusiasm to get back on track. Friesen shared his impatience: “Not really having a timeline on when I’m going to feel better is kind of frustrating. But we are trying as hard as we can to get there.”
Yet while the 2025 Craftsman Truck Series season proceeds without him, Stewart Friesen is preparing for his comeback plans.
Carving out a plan
The decision after his disastrous injury must have been heartbreaking for Stewart Friesen. In mid-August, the Halmar Friesen Racing driver put out a statement about relinquishing his 2025 playoff ambitions. “It just didn’t work out to even be financially beneficial on our side,” he said. This move gave more opportunities to his rivals who were competing below the elimination line. Now, as the Truck star recovers from his injuries, he watches his compatriots advance ahead in the championship run. Corey Heim clinched the pole for the Truck race in New Hampshire, posting a lap of 131.583 mph. Marking his 6th pole, Heim will start alongside Chandler Smith and Ty Majeski.
But just in a few months, Stewart Friesen hopes to be among these names. He is aiming to race at Daytona in 2026, as he told Bob Pockrass, “That’s the goal we set right away. You know, if I could get a little bit more mobility and range of motion back in this right foot, I’d like to be back, in at least a dirt car, maybe for World Finals.” The 42-year-old driver has accumulated four race wins, 91 top-10 finishes, and four pole positions in his 10-year Truck Series career so far. He continued about how his wife supports him, “It’s been something we couldn’t do by ourselves. My wife has been awesome. Jess has been a superhero through all of this. And you know, we’re just going to work as hard as we can.”
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The Craftsman Truck Series is clearly missing a jewel among its ranks. As Stewart Friesen regains his health, we wish him a speedy recovery!