Truck Series driver Friesen injured in dirt racing crash

Craftsman Truck Series competitor Stewart Friesen was injured on Monday night in a dirt modified crash, and will require surgery.

Friesen was competing at the Autodrome Drummond in Quebec, Canada, in the Super DIRTcar Series when the crash happened. Friesen ran over the dirt cushion near the top of the track, which sent his car airborne and landed on top of the wall. There was a brief burst of flames as the car landed and came back on the track, when it was then hit by another driver.

In the immediate aftermath, series officials reported Friesen was alert and communicating with the safety crews. He was transported to a local medical facility.

Tuesday morning, Jessica Friesen, Stewart’s wife, posted on the team’s official social media account.

“CT scans have come back clear of any head, neck, or spine injuries,” the lengthy post said. “Unfortunately, he is still in a tremendous amount of pain. 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. Stewart 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.

“His vitals are stable, and after receiving additional pain medication, he is in better spirits and resting. Thank you to Tommy Conroy and Martin Roy, who stayed with Stewart last night. Thank you to everyone who has reached out and sent prayers and positive thoughts. Thank you to the manufacturers who have made dirt modifieds as safe as possible, and the track crew for their patience and hard work getting Stew out of the car.

“We will share more updates as soon as we have them. Thank you all for the continued support.”

Friesen finished third on Friday night in the Craftsman Truck Series race in Indianapolis before his team was disqualified for a height violation. The team plans to appeal the penalty.

Following the Indianapolis event, Friesen made the trip to Weedsport Speedway in New York to begin a slate of races with the Super DIRTcar Series. He won his Saturday heat race before going on to claim the victory, his 52nd in the series.

Autodromo Drummond followed the New York events. Friesen set the quick time and won his heat race before the crash occurred in the feature event.

Friesen has been a Craftsman Truck Series competitor since 2016, when he made six starts in his debut season. He has been full-time in the series since 2018 for the Halmar Friesen Racing team and has four career wins. His most recent win came in June at Michigan International Speedway.