The NASCAR Truck Series returned to Rockingham Speedway for the first time in a dozen years on Friday night. For veteran driver Stewart Friesen, the much anticipated return of NASCAR to The Rock was a day he would just as soon forget.
It started ominously in qualifying when the No. 52 driver had a solid run going before he lost grip coming out of Turn 4 and made hard contact with the outside wall. Due to the damage on his right front and the resulting unapproved adjustments, he was sent to the rear of the field for the start of the race.
Unfortunately, it didn’t go any better once the green flag waved. Friesen’s day came to an early end in that same final turn on the mile-long track in the third stage when Rajah Caruth got loose in front of the 41-year-old driver, who had nowhere to go and slammed hard into the outside wall.
His truck bounced off the wall, slid down into the middle of the track, where Tanner Gray drove hard into the left front. Moments after the incident, Friesen exited his vehicle, skipped the traditional help from the safety crew and started walking toward pit road.
After a nasty crash and early exit in @NASCAR‘s return to Rockingham, @StewartFriesen was brutally honest about his future in the sport. pic.twitter.com/9D7Wlcv4Sn
— Kyle Dalton (@kdsportswriter) April 18, 2025
He was interviewed a short time later after a visit to the infield care center,
“I mean, I’ll tell you the last two weeks, we’ve had really fast trucks, but it really makes me question if all those headaches are even freaking worth it anymore,” he candidly admitted. “You know, it’s what I’ve wanted to do my whole life race at this level. And, you know, the top two series are not in my lifetime. So, this is what I live and die for. I don’t know. Maybe just not worth it anymore.”
Friesen and the Truck Series have a couple of weeks off and return to racing at Texas Motor Speedway on May 2.
Related: NASCAR Truck Series Driver Slams Martinsville: ‘I Hate This Racetrack’
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