Stewart Friesen elects not to pursue waiver for Truck Series Playoffs eligibility

Stewart Friesen will not pursue a medical waiver to retain his eligibility for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs, according to a statement he put out Thursday. Friesen suffered serious injuries in a dirt-track crash July 28, forcing him to miss last weekend's Truck Series event at Watkins Glen International. He's also due to miss Friday night's regular-season finale at Richmond Raceway as he recovers from pelvic and leg fractures that will keep him out of the Halmar Friesen Racing No. 52 Toyota. RELATED: Richmond schedule | Truck standings The lack of a waiver will force Friesen to relinquish the playoff berth that he clinched with a June 7 victory at Michigan International Speedway. That creates another opening in the 10-driver playoff field, with two postseason slots to be filled after Friday's race at Richmond. "A lot went into [the decision] as far as beginning with the timeline on how my recovery was going to go," Friesen said Friday on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. "We started talking waiver stuff, just to kind of give ourselves a security net in case I was able to get back in. Obviously, that's not going to work out, so we felt for the integrity of the series and the playoffs, we would not submit that waiver." With Friesen removed from the Truck Series title fight, more possibilities arise for drivers who were once fighting below the elimination line heading into the deciding race at Richmond. ThorSport's Jake Garcia gained 72 points and holds the last spot in the playoff field. Conversely, Ben Rhodes, Garcia's teammate, gained 66 points to the elimination line and now sits 11 points back of a postseason position with Giovanni Ruggiero hot on his heels, just 21 markers back after gaining 78 points. Cup Series regular Christopher Bell filled in for Friesen last weekend, driving the No. 52 entry to a fourth-place finish at Watkins Glen. Kaden Honeycutt is slated to drive for the Halmar Friesen Racing team at Richmond and in any other races that Friesen might miss the rest of the season. Friesen has made 200 Truck Series starts, competing full-time each season since 2018. He is a four-time winner on the circuit, and he reached the Championship 4 round of the playoffs in 2019.