Demoralized Stewart Friesen Sounds Off After Rockingham Crash

ROCKINGHAM, N.C.: Was he serious — or just frustrated?

The NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series made its long-awaited return to Rockingham Speedway on Friday afternoon — its first trip back to the North Carolina track in 12 years for the Black’s Tire 200.

While Tyler Ankrum ended a winless drought spanning more than 100 races, Stewart Friesen’s post-race remarks stirred conversation about what the future may hold for the veteran driver.

For Friesen and his No. 52 Halmar Friesen Racing team, the one-day event was already off to a rocky start.

After encountering problems during qualifying, Friesen was forced to start from the rear of the 35-truck field for the 200-lap race.

Despite the early setback, Friesen appeared to be clawing toward another top-10 finish — until disaster struck on Lap 117.

Coming out of Turn 4, Rajah Caruth’s No. 71 Chevrolet snapped loose just ahead of Friesen.

As Caruth fought to save his truck from slamming the wall, Friesen was forced to check up to avoid contact. That moment of hesitation triggered a chain reaction: Matt Mills plowed into the back of Friesen’s Toyota, sending both trucks hard into the wall.

Tanner Gray’s No. 15 TRICON Garage Toyota Tundra was also caught in the melee.

All three drivers were able to climb out of their trucks under their own power and were later evaluated and released from the infield care center.

However, Friesen’s blunt post-race interview with FOX Sports 1 turned heads.

Visibly frustrated, the three-time Truck Series winner questioned whether he wanted to continue racing in NASCAR — a rare moment of raw emotion that left many wondering if it was a spur-of-the-moment reaction or a sign of deeper uncertainty?

“It is what it is,” offered Friesen. “I’ll tell you, the last two weeks, we’ve had really fast trucks but it makes me question if all these headaches are even freaking worth it anymore.

“It’s what I’ve wanted to do my whole life — race at this level. The top two series (Cup and Xfinity) are not in my lifetime, so this is what I live and die for. I don’t know, maybe (it’s) not worth it anymore.”

Prior to the accident, Friesen commended his Statesville, N.C.-based team for bouncing back amid adversity as they prepared for one of the most highly anticipated Truck Series races of the year.

“Tried to go wide open in qualifying and kissed the wall,” explained Friesen of his mishap earlier in the day.

“They did a really good job of putting it back together. It was just as fast in the race as it was in practice. Just trying to bide our time. Saw Rajah get loose and tried to check up as much as I could and got run over.”

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario native Friesen has made 191 starts in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, but continues to chase his first win since a 2023 victory at Texas Motor Speedway.

The 41-year-old veteran had circled Rockingham Speedway as a chance to rebound after a frustrating 27th-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway — his worst result of the season at the time.

However, after finishing a season-worst 29th at Rockingham, the question now looms: Will Friesen brush off his post-race comments and compete at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday, May 2 – or did we perhaps witness a genuine “mic drop” moment from one of the Northeast’s most respected dirt racers?

Follow Chris Knight on X (Twitter) @Knighter01 or email at [email protected].