As Tony Stewart recovers from a broken right leg, Max Papis will drive the No. 14 car in this weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen.
Max Papis to drive No. 14 at Watkins Glen; Tony Stewart needs second surgery
Max Papis will drive the No. 14 car for the recuperating Tony Stewart this weekend at Watkins Glen. Stewart remains hospitalized and will need a second surgery, according to a statement released by his team.
Stewart broke his tibia and fibula in a sprint car crash Monday night at Southern Iowa Speedway. After an initial surgery to stabilize and clean the Grade 2 injury, Stewart remains hospitalized. A second surgery has been deemed necessary, Stewart-Haas Racing said in a statement.
There was no timetable given for how long Stewart would need to recover.
In a message posted on his Facebook page, the three-time Cup champion thanked his fans for their support and vowed to return.
“I told someone to go get my phone or else I was going to get up and get it myself,” Stewart posted. “Finally got reconnected to the world and just want to say thank you for all the prayers and well wishes. My team will remain strong and I will be back.”
Because of his extensive background in road racing in addition to his familiarity running in NASCAR, Papis was a natural choice to drive for Stewart at Watkins Glen. In a test conducted by SHR last week at Road Atlanta, Papis drove Stewart’s No. 14 car.
Papis has competed in Formula One, CART, and sports cars and has a pair of victories in the 24 Hours of Daytona. He also has 92 combined starts in NASCAR’s three national series (Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series). His best Cup finish was an eighth in 2009 at Watkins Glen.
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