“It’s not worth it anymore”: NASCAR veteran sparks career doubts following Rockingham setback
On Friday, April 18, 2025, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Stewart Friesen had a tough run in his first race at Rockingham Speedway. The Stock Car Association returned to the 0.94-mile D-shaped oval track after a long hiatus of 13 years.
Friesen's suffering began from the qualifying session at the 200-lap event. He got involved in an accident while qualifying for the race and began in 20th place on the grid. Following a slow start, he moved up three spots in Stage One, ending in 17th place, followed by a 12th-place finish in Stage Two.
On lap 118 of Friday's Black's Tire 200, the NASCAR Truck Series driver was behind Rajah Caruth's #71 in turn four's exit. Caruth's truck got loose, and Stewart Friesen made contact with both Caruth and Matt Mills before he slammed into Tanner Gray's truck. The incident ended Friesen's day, and recalling it, the Truck Series driver told NASCAR reporter Dalton Hopkins (via X):
"The last two weeks ... really makes me question if all this headache's even freaking worth it anymore. The top 2 series aren't in my lifetime. This is what I live and die for, but maybe it's not worth it anymore."
Tanner Gray ended the 200-lap race in P28, followed by Stewart Friesen, who finished the race in P29, and Matt Mills in P30. Meanwhile, Rajah Caruth finished in P4, and Tyler Ankrum won the race by a margin of 6.657 seconds.
Once the NASCAR driver was involved in an incident with Nick Sanchez after the Bristol Race
In the 2024 season, during the Weather Guard Truck Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Stewart Friesen had a bit of an incident with Nick Sanchez that later turned into a physical altercation. NASCAR on FOX recorded the moment and shared an X post.
With 32 laps to go in the race, Sanchez's #2 Chevy Silverado collided with Friesen's #53 Toyota Tundra. The collision was the aftermath of Friesen aggressively blocking Sanchez, leaving him no space to maneuver. The NASCAR veteran driver went over to the 22-year-old's pit to confront him, and the conversation took a heated turn quickly.
Friesen grabbed Sanchez by the back of the neck and threw a punch at him before the official broke them off. Watch the video below:
However, the incident was not the first time the young driver was involved in an accident with a veteran driver. During the Love's RV Stop 250 race, he got involved with three-time Truck Series champion Matt Crafton. The duo prematurely ended the race during overtime and got into a fight in the garage area, where Sanchez stated:
“I’m gonna f*****g kill you in Homestead. You f****d twith the wrong guy, motherf****r.”
Stewart Friesen currently ranks eighth on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver's points table with 177 points to his credit. He secured one top-five finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway and has three top-ten finishes in eight starts so far this season.