The good news in the announcement of Tony Stewart's broken back is that he is expected to recover and compete in what he has said will be his last year in NASCAR.
Or is it good news?
Tony Stewart Crash A Sign To Start Retirement Early
Stewart-Haas Racing announced that the three-time Sprint Cup champion underwent back surgery Wednesday to repair a burst fracture of his L1 vertebra, according to multiple media reports.
"SHR said Stewart is expected to make a 'full recovery' and return to the No. 14 car this season, which had already been announced as his last," USA Today Sports reported. "Stewart, 44, will miss the Daytona 500, a crown jewel event he has not won in his 17-year career."
Tony Stewart Vows Return To Dirt-Track Racing
Back injuries, however, are a dicey proposition. Ask Tiger Woods. Or better yet, ask Dr. Jerry Punch of ESPN.
"[A burst fracture] is basically an explosion of the vertebrae, typically the body of the vertebrae," Punch said in a phone interview. "Unlike a compression fracture, where it sort of gets pushed down on itself, a burst fracture usually involves multiple fractures and multiple fragments. ... Normally when someone has a burst fracture, you're talking months of healing, you're talking people wearing these big lumbar braces for two to three months.
"It's not like a broken arm where you can put a plate in it where you can deal with the pain and get in the car. With the back, it can impact your ability to walk and move the rest of your life. You can't take a chance on hitting something at all."
Stewart likely is stubborn enough to go through all the rehab required to strengthen his back after the bone has healed, simply to get back in a racecar.
If Stewart can't race in the Daytona 500 later this month and try to fill in the only hole in his résumé, then why take that chance? A 2017 comeback also doesn't appear feasible with the agreement of Clint Bowyer taking his place in the team's four-car group, the maximum allowed for an owner under NASCAR rules.
Physically, Stewart has already suffered a horrific leg injury from his 2013 crash in a dirt-track race, and emotionally he's still dealing with the circumstances of Kevin Ward Jr.'s death in August of 2014 when his car clipped Ward as Ward was approaching him on foot, sending Ward airborne and crashing to his death.
If he wants to continue racing in dirt-track races, as Stewart has said he wants to do, he should give himself ample time to recover and not rush back for his farewell NASCAR season.
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