On July 28, Stewart Friesen was involved in a brutal accident while competing in a Super DIRTcar Series race at Autodrome Drummond in Quebec, Canada.
On a restart, Friesen’s car left the racing groove and struck the end of the turn 3 wall, flipping violently in and out of the racetrack. His No. 44 then caught fire before being struck by the oncoming car of Jasmin Leveillee, tearing the body panels away and sending Friesen’s car into the air again. Alex Yankowski and Justin Stone also caught a piece of the accident.
As a result, Friesen suffered a fractured pelvis with a large hematoma in the area, as well as a fractured right leg. Both injuries will require surgery, for which Friesen will be transferred from Canada to New York..
While he nor his team, Halmar Friesen Racing, have indicated so, it’s more than likely that Friesen will miss the next Craftsman Truck Series race at Watkins Glen International on Aug. 8.
Friesen currently has a playoff spot in the Truck Series, which he secured in a thrilling victory at Michigan International Speedway in June.
NASCAR’s policy states that a driver must attempt every race in the season, though extenuating factors — including injuries — would be grounds for a waiver.
However, Friesen’s injuries are extensive. A fractured right leg alone is painful, but a fracture of the pelvis means that Friesen’s pelvis is fractured in two different places — not to mention the hematoma in the area as well.
Even if Friesen could get a waiver, would the 42-year-old be healthy enough to get back behind the wheel of a truck by the time the playoffs begin?
For reference, let’s look at former NTT IndyCar Series driver Sebastien Bourdais, who suffered multiple pelvic fractures in a vicious Indianapolis 500 qualifying crash in 2017.
Bourdais crashed on May 20 and did not return to the cockpit of an IndyCar until the race at World Wide Technology Raceway on Aug. 26.
For those keeping score at home, that was a three-month gap. If Friesen has a similar recovery timeline, that means that three months from now, the season will be almost over and he will not have a shot at this year’s championship.
Not to mention, Bourdais was 38 when he had that crash. Friesen is — though not by much — older than that, sitting at a fresh 42 years old. Recovery time surely must be longer due to the age factor — especially with how much Friesen races dirt alongside his Truck Series schedule.
It’s a tough reality to face for Friesen, but the rest of the 2025 season (and calendar year, actually) should be focused on his recovery so he can be fully ready to go at it again in 2026.
It is/will be a tough blow to Friesen and the No. 52 team — the Michigan win was his first in three years and for the first time in what feels like forever, HFR had momentum with Friesen heading into the playoffs.
Now, all of that is on hold while the team awaits word that its leader is in recovery from surgery.
And it should be that way.
Racing is one big family, and nobody wants to see Friesen push himself to get back in a truck before he’s fully healthy. Similarly, there’s no shame in Friesen taking the rest of the year off to rest and recover. That was a gnarly crash, and most fans, media and teams are just thankful that he made it out of it.
The racing will always be there for Friesen whenever he’s healthy and fully ready to return to the seat. While it’s a shame to potentially have to relinquish his playoff spot after working so hard to earn one again, his health and safety should absolutely come first.
As for who could replace him?
There are so many options.
If HFR is truly backed by Toyota, it could tap drivers like Brent Crews, Isabella Robusto or Lawless Alan to drive the truck; or perhaps one of Toyota’s reserve drivers, Kaz Grala or Ryan Truex. It could also lean on a recently released driver, such as Kris Wright or Josh Williams, or it could utilize Friesen’s wife Jessica or its road course driver Wesley Slimp to fill out a few races in the No. 52.
Symbolically, withdrawing the No. 52 would be an option, but there are sponsors who want their brand on the track, as well as all the people on payroll at HFR who want nothing more than to keep going for their captain.
But right now, a replacement driver doesn’t matter. What matters is Friesen’s health, and until he can leave surgery and return home to start recuperating, everybody is thinking about the driver of the No. 52.
If he can return this year, he surely will be welcomed back with open arms, much like Bourdais was in the IndyCar paddock in 2017. But if he can’t, don’t push it. He’ll still surely be welcomed back with open arms when the series rolls around to Daytona International Speedway in February 2026.
Get well soon, Stewart.
Truckin’ Tidbits
- In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Austin Hill has been suspended from the next race at Iowa Speedway for intentionally wrecking Aric Almirola in the last race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This scenario is kind of ironic — Hill is being suspended from the very racetrack where Johnny Sauter intentionally wrecked him under caution in a Truck Series race in 2019, which resulted in a one-race suspension for Sauter. Guess Hill forgot about that incident when retaliating against Almirola at Indy.
- Talk about adding insult to injury: Friesen’s post-race DQ from IRP was upheld by an appeals panel on July 30. Friesen originally finished third, but was disqualified after his front heights were too low in post-race inspection.
- Spencer Boyd will have Top Rep Training aboard his No. 76 at Darlington Raceway.
- 17-year-old Gian Buffomante will make his Truck Series debut at Watkins Glen. He will drive the No. 22 for Reaume Brothers Racing. Buffomante, who has experience at The Glen via Trans-Am racing, will be sponsored by Goodridge.
Anthony Damcott joined Frontstretch in March 2022. Currently, he is an editor and co-authors Fire on Fridays (Fridays); he is also the primary Truck Series reporter/writer and serves as an at-track reporter. He has also assisted with short track content and social media, among other duties he takes/has taken on for the site. In 2025, he became an official member of the National Motorsports Press Association. A proud West Virginia Wesleyan College alum from Akron, Ohio, Anthony is now a grad student. He is a theatre actor and fight coordinator in his free time.
You can keep up with Anthony by following @AnthonyDamcott on X.