Tony Stewart has been hospitalized with a back injury sustained while driving an all-terrain vehicle on the West Coast, team spokesman Mike Arning toldUSA TODAY Sports in an email.
Stewart's team released a statement Tuesday that indicated the three-time NASCAR champion was injured in a non-racing accident.
Stewart-Haas Racing said Stewart was transported to a local hospital following the accident and is awake and alert. The exact location of the accident was not disclosed.
Stewart, 44, is able to move all extremities, the team said.
Arning said another update will not be issued until Thursday afternoon when more information about Stewart's injury is known.
The co-owner of SHR and driver of the No. 14 car is retiring from NASCAR after this season, which kicks off Feb. 21 with the Daytona 500, a race Stewart has not won in his decorated 17-year career. Drivers are expected to start preparing for NASCAR's biggest event next week when SpeedWeeks kicks off with practices and the Sprint Unlimited on Feb. 13. Stewart is qualified to drive in that exhibition as a past winner. Daytona 500 pole day is the following day.
In a statement, NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France said he had been informed about Stewart's injury and wished the driver well.
"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," France said.
Stewart's back injury is the latest in a series of bad news for the driver and his fans.
In August 2013, Stewart was injured in a sprint car crash during a race in Iowa. He slammed into a car that had stopped on the track and shattered his right leg, forcing him to miss the remainder of the NASCAR season that year (15 races).
A year later, Stewart struck and killed driver Kevin Ward Jr. during a sprint car race in upstate New York after Ward Jr. had spun out and walked angrily down the track toward Stewart. Stewart sat out three races following Ward Jr.'s death. Following an investigation, Stewart was not charged with any wrongdoing but is facing a wrongful death lawsuit brought by Ward Jr.'s family.
Meanwhile, Stewart's results have declined dramatically on the track. He won at least one race in the first 15 years of his career but is now winless in the last two. He suffered through the worst season of his career in 2015 with only three top-10 finishes and had career lows in several other major categories.
Last September, Stewart announced 2016 would be his final NASCAR season. He was set to enter the season with a new crew chief (Mike Bugarewicz) and a fresh start, although his back injury may now threaten his farewell tour depending on its severity.
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