CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Three-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart underwent a second surgery on his broken right leg Thursday in North Carolina and remains hospitalized under observation.
The surgery was to insert a metal rod inside the tibia, and Stewart-Haas Racing said a specialist pressed the tibia to its correct position.
Stewart broke both the tibia and fibula in his right leg Monday night in a sprint car race in Iowa. He underwent a first surgery in Iowa following the accident to clean and stabilize the injury.
Stewart is out indefinitely, and Max Papis will drive his No. 14 Chevrolet this weekend at Watkins Glen International, where Stewart is a five-time winner. It will bring Stewart's streak of 521 consecutive Cup starts to an end.
Stewart-Haas Racing has not named an interim driver for beyond this weekend.
Stewart was leading with five laps remaining Monday night at Southern Iowa Speedway when a lapped car spun in front of him, causing Stewart to hit that car and flip several times. He was taken from the track by ambulance.
It was the third sprint car accident he'd been involved in over the last month, but his passion for grassroots racing remained strong and he'd bristled just last week at Pocono Raceway when asked why he continued to put his day job at risk for his hobby.