Dirt track injuries have an infamous reputation in NASCAR. Alex Bowman’s 2023 sprint racing crash was one example, as the Hendrick Motorsports driver broke his back and missed three Cup races. Kyle Larson was at risk of injury several times in his countless dirt racing ventures. But in a much brutal manner, a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series veteran faced a harrowing crash last year, and the resulting injuries stamped him out of the championship bid. Now, however, he is ready for a grand return.

NASCAR driver’s injuries have healed

“@StewartFriesen will return to the NASCAR Truck Series in 2026 after missing the final nine races of 2025 due to a dirt-track injury sustained in July. Friesen, driving for Halmar Friesen Racing, had surgery and a months-long recovery, and is expected to resume full-time competition next season,” Racing America’s caption read on an X post.

In July 2025, Stewart Friesen suffered a horrific crash in a Super DIRTcar Series event at Quebec, Canada. He fractured his pelvis and right leg in a crash that sent his No. 44 car flipping before catching fire. Shortly after, his wife Jessica had updated that Stewart had been transferred to a new hospital for surgery, and that he was in stable condition.

The 42-year-old racer won his first race since 2022 at Michigan International Speedway in June. In late July, he was sitting comfortably in the points at 13th, with his playoff spot already locked in place. That is when disaster struck as the Quebec dirt racing mishap unfolded on July 28th. On August 14th, Halmar Friesen Racing had posted that they would not pursue a playoff waiver.

On December 5th, the four-time NASCAR Truck race winner posted a video of his first steps without assistance. He bounced back from a reconstructed pelvis, right tibia and fibula, and recovered from a fractured C7 vertebra and fractured left hip. And recently, he told NASCAR SiriusXM’s “The Morning Drive” about his smooth recovery and his eagerness to climb back behind the wheel of his No. 52 Toyota. First up is his venture at Daytona International Speedway.

“It’s going very well,” Stewart Friesen said when asked about the recovery process after the incident. “The last month I’ve been making some leaps and bounds; no more crutches, no more canes, I’m walking pretty normal and trying to work out as much as I can, still doing a lot of physical therapy and anticipating a return at Daytona in just over a month.”

Now, as Stewart Friesen gears up for another year of pursuing the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series title, he could not help but feel gratitude.

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Acknowledging a friend in stressful times

“What a great race car driver and great person,” Stewart Friesen said about Kaden Honeycutt. “It was cool for him to jump in my seat. I was logged into every sim session that he did, and all the races, obviously listening on the radio, and just a great race-car driver. And it really helped our team to develop and make a championship push. That was awesome. That was all we could ask for. He did a great job and got us another, maybe, rung up the ladder with the building of this race team.”

In the aftermath of Stewart Friesen’s injury, the HFR No. 52 Toyota was in a dilemma. The team first called NASCAR Cup Series driver Christopher Bell to pilot the Truck in Watkins Glen. But then a more stable option in Kaden Honeycutt arose. The recently signed driver drove the No. 52 all the way to the drivers’ and owners’ Championship Four, where they finished in third.

The Truck finished third in the 2025 owners’ points standings, the team’s best result since going full-time in 2018. And quite understandably, Stewart Friesen had nothing but praise for Kaden Honeycutt’s work.

Now, the NASCAR veteran is ready to make a grand comeback. As the 2026 season awaits, let’s see how Stewart Friesen tackles a fresh set of races.