Tony Stewart Injury: Updates on NASCAR Star's Back and Recovery
Three-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart is anxiously awaiting clearance to return to NASCAR after breaking his back, but he doesn't know when that time will come.
Continue for updates.
Stewart Awaiting Test Results
Thursday, April 7
Speaking at a Speedway Children's Charities function in Fort Worth, Texas, Stewart said he's awaiting his next set of scans at the end of April to determine the proper timetable to return to the track.
"I don't [know my return], not until they do the next set of scans," Stewart said, per Bob Pockrass of ESPN.com. "The first thing they did were X-rays [in early March] just to make sure the rods and screws were in place. When we do the scans at the end of the month, then they'll be able to have an idea exactly when it's going to happen."
Stewart broke his back in January during a dune-buggy accident in which he landed on his back after a 20- to 25-foot drop. He had rods placed in his back to fix the burst fracture of the L1ย vertebrae but said he feels "great," per Pockrass:ย
"I've been doing everything now over the last week that I've wanted to do. If you step off a curb wrong or step too hard, you're definitely reminded you have these rods in your back.
Other than that, I feel really well. I'm anxious to get the scans. It's driving me crazy wanting to see what it looks like and what is the diagnosis and when they think they're going to let me go.
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Stewart announcedย in September that this would be his last season on the track. There's a chance his back injury will halt those plans for at least one more year, though he seems to be enjoying his time away from NASCAR.
"The good news is every Sunday when the race is over, I'm not mad at anybody, and nobody is mad at me," Stewart said, per Pockrass. "I'm happy when I go home. That has not happened in a long, long time."
