Tony Stewart Spills Gruesome Details on Complicated Shoulder Injury That Mired His Off-Season

Over time, Tony Stewart career in motorsports has seen enough praiseworthy moments and shifts. Having been an adventurous driver throughout his career, Stewart still has his on-track thrill going on with the NHRA Top Fuel Drag Racing. Even at the age of 52, the three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion looks as motivated as ever, but it hasn’t been easy to keep up.

Naturally, with age come complications and Stewart has been prone to injuries before. Having said that, he went through an intense surgery late last year which hampered his off-season activities.

Tony Stewart reveals the intrinsic details of his shoulder surgery before Thanksgiving

Racing in the Indy Racing League, Stewart looked careful despite the event being well-known for vicious crashes. However, Smoke was unfortunate to escape in the 78th lap when his car snapped going into Turn 2. What happened next was gruesome as he spun into the outer wall at a high speed. This not only broke his left collarbone but also damaged his neck ligament.

Having said that, the pain of 1996 almost resurfaced late last year after the SRX race at Eldora. It was then that Stewart sensed his shoulder hurting. After getting an MRI in Indianapolis, his doctor suggested a case of a small tear in Smoke’s labrum.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

Recently, Stewart revealed how it was more intense than it looked. Speaking on his YouTube channel, he confirmed undergoing surgery before Thanksgiving. He said, “So, I didn’t enjoy the offseason. Well, Dr. Surface thought it was a small labrum tear. Then when he got in there, it was three-quarters torn.”

Not only that, Stewart explained the gruesome gravity of the surgery. He said, “[It] had damage to the rotator cuff. They had to fix and then they detached the head bone spurs and then they detached the muscle from the labrum. They drill a hole in a bone and run the muscle through and attach it from the backside. All kinds of fun stuff for a small labrum tear that we thought we were fixing.”

While the surgery resulted in a dry off-season spell for Stewart, it certainly had an impact during his NHRA Top Fuel class debut.

Tony Stewart remains confident despite struggle in his debut NHRA Top Fuel race

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Success has come Tony Stewart’s way regardless of the motorsports format. Having found success in the NASCAR Cup Series and IndyCar, his new venture in NHRA remains an exciting prospect for everyone involved. However, Smoke didn’t get to the best start in his debut Top Fuel race at Gainesville Raceway.

Despite making five passes in the season-opener, Stewart lost in the first round of eliminations. Having said that, it is commendable how he beat Justin Ashley off the starting line. Given that Ashley has the best reaction time in the class, it is something Stewart can be proud of.

Interestingly, the 52-year-old racer remains upbeat despite struggling at Gainesville. As reported by apnews.com, Stewart said, “Had a solid weekend and didn’t make mistakes. Every run we make, there’s going to be new things that come up that I’m going to have to figure out.”

The Indiana-born driver added, “I’m elated, honestly. Obviously, you don’t want to go out first round. But there’s seven other guys in that class that didn’t want to go out first round, either. Hopefully, I gained the respect of the competitors this weekend. I had consistent lights and was consistent in my procedure where people aren’t going, ‘We don’t know what he’s going to do when he gets up there.”

Given Stewart’s tough character and skills behind the wheel, it is only a matter of time before he gets up to speed in this format. Hopefully, his shoulder won’t be posing a hurdle in his NHRA aspirations in the near future.

READ MORE – Tony “Smoke” Stewart Confesses Being Left in a Pickle With NHRA Fans Due to His Heroic Nickname