Canadian-American racer Stewart Friesen’s promising Truck Series Season has hit a wall, not once but twice in the past two weeks, leaving him with many questions. Yesterday, in Black’s Tire 200 at Rockingham Speedway, he had a steady run before the disaster hit him. This veteran dirt racer was trying to pass Rajah Caruth for 7th place on Lap 117 when Caruth’s truck got loose. Friesen tried his best to avoid a collision, but Matt Mills’s car hit him from behind, causing a major crash.
For Friesen, this loss was another strike on the heart after what happened in Bristol last weekend. On 11th April, at the Weather Guard Truck Race, Friesen suffered bad luck on Lap 53. He was driving steadily when Frankie Muniz’s car spun after a hit from Ty Majeski, which led to a collision involving the Canadian-American racer and Brandon Jones. Following the crash, Friesen had to retire early from the race. Two consecutive failures left Friesen doubting if the grind is worth it. But one thing is confirmed with his fans- they are not letting him fade without a fight.
After yesterday’s ill-fated day at Rockingham, Stewart Friesen laid bare his heart after being cleared from the care center. “Checked up as much as I could, and just got ran over. It is what it is. I’ll tell you, the last two weeks, we’ve had really fast trucks, but it really makes me question if all of this headache is even freaking worth it anymore,” he said expressing a lack of enthusiasm about the sport.
The former dirt racer added, “I was really trying to ride and get to the end, pick em off. Super frustrated, maybe I belong in the dirt where they just race each other, and guys don’t pile right freaking each other all the time. It is what it is. It’s NASCAR racing.” Firsen was done with constant wrecks and crashes, and, for once, he wanted to finish the race clean at least on the historic return at Rockingham Speedway.
Well, the Truck Series has been notorious for turning a national series race into a demolition derby display. Last year, Matt Mills intentionally wrecked Conner Jones at Homestead Miami Speedway and had no ounce of guilt or remorse after the race. Jones was taken to a nearby hospital, and NASCAR allowed Mills to complete the race. The only repercussion he faced was a one-race suspension.
Frisen has been with the Halmar Frissen Racing team since 2017, but the current trend of racing in the Truck Series seems to have broken him down. But, despite being low on morale, the NASCAR fans came out in his support on social media after his race ended prematurely at the Rock.
Fans show emotional support as the Rockingham disaster leaves Stewart Friesen heartbroken
Stewart Friesen‘s Rockingham crash hit him hard because it was his first race on that prestigious track. However, he probably saw its signs from the qualifying session at the 200-lap event. During the session, he met with an accident and started the race in 20th place on the grid. Despite his slow start, he moved up three spots in Stage One and ended in 17th place. He then finished Stage Two in 12th place. Although the Canadian-American driver faced setbacks from the start, he still put in his best effort. But not all efforts can bring positive results. Friesen’s fans tried to make him understand how winning and losing are both parts of a game. “I am thinking his frustration is from past incidents because this one is most definitely “one of them racing deals”. I have no idea what he expects the trucks behind him to do with a checkup that abruptly coming out of the corner where you are normally throttling down,” commented a Reddit user.
However, for Friesen, the luck hasn’t seemed to favor him since last year. Last year at Bristol’s Weather Guard Truck Race, the Canadian-American racer had a conflict with Nick Sanchez in the late half. He moved towards the track and squeezed the latter towards the wall, but ultimately finished the race in 22nd position after spinning. Well, Sanchez walked up to Frisen post-race and had a heated exchange, but the veteran driver calmly handled the situation by accepting his mistake. But, clearly, he was out of sorts after the Rockingham setback. “I definitely get the frustrations he feels even if the incident that caused him to share this wasnt the most egregious example,” another fan added.
Friesen’s fans remain clear that the veteran dirt racer’s frustration isn’t about just one day. It is the aftereffect of accumulated bad luck, limited resources, and failed hard work. “I get it. Today was a the last incident of a string of bad luck. You dump all of your money into bringing the best stuff you can only to get it junked in situations out of your control. You get your sandcastle knocked over, and the next guy gets his parents to write another check, “ commented another person. The last time Frisen won a race was back in 2022, and being a small team with the support of corporate giants racing in NASCAR is financially draining. And this might be the real reason behind the driver’s emotional rant at the Rock.
However, not everyone sided with Friesen’s feelings. Some believed his words attacked the junior NASCAR drivers when, as a veteran, he should have influenced and motivated them. “I’ve seen a lot of the same crap in dirt racing so don’t go throwing stones.” This wasn’t the most egregious crash after all, a check-up that turned bad, these kinds of incidents happen in all forms of motorsports, and sprint car racing isn’t always clean.
With the entire season lined up ahead, it will be interesting to see how the veteran driver bounces back after consecutive DNF runs. Hopefully, he catches a lucky break at the Texas Motor Speedway.
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