Wreck seriously injures Friesen
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Stewart Friesen, who made several Dirt Late Model starts from 2021-23, suffered significant injuries in a vicious big-block modified crash during Monday's Super DIRTcar Series event at Autodrome Drummond in Drummondville, Quebec.
A 42-year-old native of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, now living in Sprakers, N.Y., Friesen was running fourth on a lap-17 restart when he slipped off the track attempting a pass in turn three and clipped the tire barrier in front of the outside wall with the rear end of his car. His machine flipped high in the air and burst into flames before landing back on the racing surface where it absorbed a high-speed hit from a passing car.
The multiple impacts completely ripped the fuel cell from Friesen’s car and the race was red-flagged for safety crews to tend to him. Super DIRTcar Series officials reported that Friesen was alert and speaking with officials as he was carefully extricated from the car and transported to a nearby hospital.
On Tuesday morning, Friesen’s wife, Jessica, posted on social media that his CT scans were clear of any head, neck or spine injuries, but he sustained an “unstable, open-book pelvic fracture,” which means his pelvis is broken in two or more places with a hematoma on the area. He also suffered a fractured right leg. Friesen was transported to a larger hospital on Tuesday morning to undergo surgery on both injuries.
Friesen currently sits 13th in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings and is locked into the playoffs following a win at Michigan International Speedway in June. He also currently leads the Short Track Super Series North Region big-block modified points standings.
Over the 2021-23 seasons Friesen made roughly a dozen Dirt Late Model starts in a Longhorn Chassis owned by Halmar Motorsports, the same team that fields his NASCAR Trucks and big-block modifieds. He registered a best finish of fourth in a 2021 World of Outlaws Real American Beer Late Model Series event at Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, N.Y.
