But for the grace of God, Kyle Larson knows he could have been in the same spot as Stewart Friesen. Both drivers race sprint cars on dirt as somewhat of a hobby unrelated to their full-time jobs as NASCAR drivers.
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Friesen, who is a full-time driver in the NASCAR Truck Series, was competing in a Super DIRTcar Series race earlier this week at a track in Quebec, Canada. He was trying to move up in the pack when he somehow got loose, rode the top of the outside retaining wall, then went into a barrel roll that included several flips. His car finally came to a rest on its hood, but it caught fire at the time.
Friesen was able to get himself out of the wreckage and fire, as a deputy sheriff worked to put out the flames with a fire extinguisher. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where it was found he suffered multiple injuries, including a fractured pelvis and a fractured right leg. He underwent two surgeries Thursday to set his fractures, and it’s unlikely he will race again until the final race of the first round of the Truck playoffs.
NASCAR Cup driver Kyle Larson is a good friend of Friesen and is taking his injury situation hard because he knows himself and other NASCAR drivers who occasionally dabble in secondary racing run the risk of injury and impacting their full-time driver role in NASCAR.
“It’s obviously devastating to see the crash and then see the results of the crash with the injuries and whatnot,” Larson said during media availability Saturday at Iowa Speedway. “Yeah, a very serious accident, kind of a crazy one that you don’t really see happen too often in big blocks (engines).
“Our thoughts and prayers definitely go out to Stewart and hoping for a speedy recovery and something that hopefully wouldn’t alter his abilities in the race car when he does get healed back up.”
Even though he had already qualified for the Truck playoffs, Friesen likely won’t be able to take part due to the severity of his crash and the resulting injuries.
The 42-year-old Canadian native will be replaced in the next several races by an expected group of drivers. Because Friesen likely won’t be able to make the playoffs, the replacement drivers are still eligible to earn owner points for the team.
“He (Friesen) is a gritty racer and one I respect a lot,” Larson continued. “You know, he runs Truck Series races on Friday and then flies to race his big block the rest of the weekend. That just shows the passion that he has for racing. Like I mentioned, just hopefully he can have a speedy, healthy recovery.”
