Former Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart was involved in a four-car pileup on Aug. 5 and left Southern Iowa Speedway with a broken leg.
Stewart was taken away in an ambulance to a local hospital where it was revealed Stewart broke the tibia and fibula bones in his lower right leg according to USA Today.
The NASCAR veteran underwent surgery and is reportedly resting still as of press time. He's expected to miss at least one race, and could be two or three weeks total.
Other drivers, former racers, and racing TV analysts have chimed in their reaction to Stewart's broken leg and what it means for the sport.
"Those cars don't just spin out, they flip," said Kenny Wallace, a driver and Speed TV analyst, according to USA Today. "That's a fact because of the way the cars were designed. We've had two deaths and a broken leg in the span of a couple of months. God is sending us a message and we better listen."
"This is a wake-up call," Wallace added. "The sprint car world needs to do something. They need to look at this car and create ways to improve its safety."
Stewart was driving a winged 360 c.i. sprinter in Oskaloose with the American Sprint Car Series and was leading the pack when a lapped car "spun in front of him" according to USA Today. Stewart hit the lapped vehicle and his car flipped.
The driver has to be helped out of the car before being put on a stretcher according to witnesses.
NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip said that this injury "might be the straw that broke the camel's back" regarding team owners allowing driers race in smaller events just for kicks.
"Some owners and drivers now might decide it's too risky and curtail this," Waltrip said according to USA Today. "When Tony has time to evaluate everything, he might come up with some safety innovations that could make sprint car racing safer."
Controversial TV analyst and former racer Kyle Petty seemed to agree with Waltrip's statements, but said it might be awhile before anything is changed.
"If I'm an owner with a driver and 300-plus employees that depend on that driver getting in the car each weekend because the sponsor pays me, then I not only have to protect myself, I have to protect my business and employees," Petty said according to USA Today. "As a driver, I'm going to say, 'This is what I do. I don't live in a bubble. I can't let life live me. I have to live it and can't just sit on my rear end and do just this one thing. I want to drive everything I can.'
"Therein lies what will be the compromise between the owners and drivers," added Petty.
The 42-year-old driver has been involved in three crashes since July alone.
Last week Stewart flipped his car at Ohsweken Speedway in Canada, and on July 16 he caused a pileup at Canandaigua Motorsports Park.
"Our foremost concern is with Tony's health and recovery," NASCAR said. "We're in close contact with his team and they will provide further information as it becomes available.
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