Popular Racecar Driver Hurt in Frightening Crash

A NASCAR driver with ties to dirt track racing in the Hudson Valley was seriously injured in a fiery crash on Monday.

For as long as I can remember, racecar driving has been a popular form of entertainment across the Hudson Valley. Many of us have spent nights watching dirt track racing at either the Orange County Speedway in Middletown, NY, or at the Accord Speedway in Accord, NY. Both venues always offered great racing featuring some of the best drivers in the world.

Stewart Friesen is one of the drivers fans in the Hudson Valley are familiar with after seeing him race and win numerous times at the Accord Speedway. Unfortunately, it appears that Friesen was involved in a nasty crash while racing in Canada on Monday night.

Racecar Driver Hurt in Frightening Crash

The 42-year-old Friesen was competing in a Super DIRTcar Series event at Autodrome Drummond in Canada on Monday when he lost control of his car and slammed into a concrete wall, according to the Crash website. As his car hit the wall, it launched into the air, came crashing back down, and caught fire. Once the car landed, a fellow race car driver collided with the fiery wreck.

Race officials quickly waved the red flag, and safety crews rushed to the scene to help remove Friesen from the car. Once they removed him from the car, he was transported to a local hospital for treatment.

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Race officials stated that Friesen was "alert and communicating with officials and EMTs," and that all other drivers involved in the crash were uninjured.

Stewart Friesen Update

Stewart's wife provided an update on his condition early Tuesday, saying, "CT scans have come back clear of any head, neck, or spine injuries. Unfortunately, he is still in a tremendous amount of pain," said Jessica Friesen. "Stewart suffered an unstable/open-book pelvic fracture, meaning his pelvis is broken in two or more places, with a hematoma on the area."

She also stated that Friesen's vitals are stable and that he has a fractured right leg. Both of his injuries will require surgery, which is expected to happen on Tuesday morning. She ended the post thanking everyone for their continued support.

When more information is available, we will update this article. Until then, please keep Stewart and his family in your thoughts and prayers.