Stewart-Haas Racing announced via its Twitter account late Tuesday that Tony Stewart has been injured in a non-racing accident and is in hospital. As the evening progressed more details (unofficial) were reported in regard to the accident but the extent and seriousness of the injury remains unknown. According to reports Stewart, who was at the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction in Scottsdale, AZ on Saturday was with a group at the home of a car collector somewhere along the California/Arizona border. The reports say many in the group spent time on sand buggies Sunday and at some point Stewart was involved in an accident; he was airlifted to hospital. Stewart’s injury is being evaluated at a local hospital, and no further official word on his status (health or ability to drive) is expected until Thursday afternoon. “We have received word from Stewart-Haas Racing of Tony Stewart’s accident and injury,” NASCAR chairman Brian France said in a statement. “On behalf of everyone at NASCAR, I wish Tony a full recovery and look forward to seeing him back in our sport when he’s ready to return.” The accident is another hit in a tough few years for Stewart, who turns 45 in May. He missed a good part of the 2013 season after breaking a leg in a sprint car accident. In 2014, a sprint car he was driving struck another driver who died, resulting in an investigation (in which he was cleared) and ongoing lawsuits. 2016 has been announced as Stewart’s last year competing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He has a new crew chief, has spent the off-season getting himself in better shape, and is hoping for a good season as his last. The season kicks off next week (Feb 13) with the Sprint Unlimited at Daytona.
