Finishes in 2022 bode well for Friesen in 2023

Racing’s off-season allowed Stewart Friesen to spend some time reconnecting with family back in Niagara just before Christmas. 

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and big block modified stock car driver and his wife, Jessica, also a competitive driver, took their six-year-old son Parker to see Niagara Falls for the first time during their week-long stay. 

“We had some fun with some cousins and had a great time,” Friesen says from his home in Sprakers, New York. “Parker was in awe and amazed by the falls. It was a really cool experience. We bopped around a little bit on Clifton Hill, too. Growing up here you take it for granted. Being away for a few years and coming back, it was great to experience it as a family.” 

It was a rare week off for the son of Jamie and Yvonne who grew up on the region’s dirt tracks as much as he did in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Jamie is a former driver and race promoter himself, along with his brothers Joel and Alex. And another generation back, Stewart’s grandfather Stan Friesen raced in the 1960s. The family owned both Merrittville Speedway in Thorold and Ransomville Speedway in New York. 

Last year, Stewart continued the family tradition of success on the tracks with nine top five finishes and a checkered flag in his Halmar-Friesen number 52 truck, and dominance on the dirt in his number 44 modified in upstate New York. That bodes well for Friesen heading into 2023.

“To run top five in the truck series is a big accomplishment,” he says. “I would have liked to have won a couple more. We were very close to making the final four in the championship. Our sights are set on the 2023 season — hopefully we’ll get a couple more wins.”

Friesen finished in sixth place in points in the truck series for the second straight year. He’s hoping that the return of the key players on his team and the addition of a few new crew members will help take him even further in the upcoming year.

On the dirt circuit, Friesen has become a bit of a legend at both Fonda Speedway and
Utica-Rome Speedway, where his father grooms the much-loved oval. He competes in a number of different dirt car circuits in upstate New York and elsewhere. 

Highlights from 2022 included wins in the Firecracker 50 at Fonda, the Labour Day race at Utica-Rome and an early season win in Florida. 

“We lost two big races at the end of the year, at Port Royal and Orange County,” Friesen says. “We led until very late in both but finished in second place. A lot of top three finishes this year, too. We had some motor problems that set us back a bit. We’re trying to remedy that so we can get back to our 2021 numbers.”

At his garage in Sprakers, two new dirt modifieds are being built this month and are almost ready for testing on the tracks. He’ll be running in the Sunshine Nationals at Florida’s Volusia Speedway in the late model division Jan. 18 to 21. 

Friesen splits his time this month between Sprakers and Statesville, North Carolina. That’s where his team, led by general manager Tripp Bruce, is getting the trucks prepared for the start of the NASCAR season.

“I shoot back and forth a few times a month,” Friesen says. “I love living in upstate New York, but having that facility there in North Carolina is key for success in NASCAR. I talk to Tripp a couple of times every single day. He’s a good man, it’s a great partnership, he takes great care of us.”

And he’s proud of his team’s accomplishments on the charitable front as well. Stewart and Jessica’s son Parker was diagnosed on the autism spectrum. The couple work tirelessly to support a number of autism-
related charities, including the Crossroads Centre for Children in Schenectady, New York. Their annual barbecue at Fonda Speedway last year raised more than $20,000 for that cause. 

Friesen will celebrate his 40th birthday this July, a milestone in itself, of course. But another milestone is within reasonable reach this year. Friesen is not far off the target of 400 career wins heading into his 24th year of driving competitively. 

“It’s a pretty awesome career stat,” he says. “Ten to 15 years ago I never would have dreamt of putting up those numbers. But having great teammates, great supporters and working with Halmar the last seven years has helped. Hopefully we can keep it going and keep the numbers rolling for another 10.”

Friesen has reached a point in his career where sponsors are lining up to be a part of his success. His contract with Halmar has paid dividends, especially on the NASCAR truck circuit. As well, in 2021, Spire Motorsports teamed with Halmar to put Friesen behind the wheel for his first NASCAR Cup Series event, the 133 mile, 250 lap Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

At a press conference last week, Friesen unveiled a new red version of his Toyota truck that he will drive in six Truck Series races this year. It’s part of a new sponsorship deal he has signed with Ferris Commercial Mowers of New York State. 

“Bill Shea was one of the executives there,” explains Friesen. “He passed away last year. He was involved in northeast modified racing for years. He had started the process for this and we met last July to iron out the deal. We’re proud and excited to represent and to be partnered with a company that’s so close to home.”

As he looks forward to the upcoming racing season, Friesen is optimistic his travels might bring him back to his old stomping grounds. 

“I think we’ll be back at Oshweken (near Brantford) again,” he says. “We’ll be back at Ransomville for some big races. The border has opened up so it’s easier now to make the trip across. A trip back to Merrittville has got to be somewhere in my future. I’m going to do the best I can to get back there.”