Tony Stewart has surgery, will miss first part of NASCAR season
Driver Tony Stewart had surgery Wednesday at a Charlotte-area hospital after suffering a burst fracture of the L1 vertebra during an all-terrain vehicle accident Sunday.
Stewart, 44, will miss the first part of the NASCAR season, according to a release by Stewart-Haas Racing.
He was transported Tuesday to a Charlotte-area hospital from the west coast, where he was on vacation when the accident happened. Stewart was awake and alert and was able to move his extremities.
According to a team news release, Stewart is expected to return to racing this year, which is to be his final season as a Cup driver. Plans for an interim driver have not been finalized.
The season will begin Feb. 21 with the Daytona 500, a race the three-time Cup series champion Stewart has never won.
He broke his leg in 2013 during a sprint car race and missed 15 Cup races. He missed three races in 2014 after he was involved in a sprint car accident that claimed the life of a driver on a dirt track in upstate New York.
David Scott: 704-358-5889, @davidscott14
This story was originally published February 4, 2016 at 3:19 PM with the headline "Tony Stewart has surgery, will miss first part of NASCAR season."