“Third time is a charm” or perhaps things sometimes happen in “threes” or maybe it’s just luck…

Tony Stewart is out of the #14, Mobil 1 – Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet for Watkins Glen. That is certain. How many more races he could miss as the season runs closer to Richmond and “The Chase” is yet to be determined.

At Southern Iowa Speedway, Stewart was running quite well in his #14 sprint car when he slid into a slower car and went for an airborne tumble. The result was a smashed car and a broken leg. To be exact, he broke the bones in his lower right leg.

stewart_leg_diag1That happens to be the leg attached to the foot that handles the accelerator.

He has undergone surgery earlier this week and another surgery, at least, is scheduled. For the moment, the recovery looks good but the timing is terrible. That time is critical as Stewart is currently 11th in Sprint Cup points and Richmond’s cut-off race is rapidly approaching. Like Denny Hamlin earlier this year, rushing back in is not an option. The “good to go” better be all green before Stewart climbs back into the Chevy.

This is his third sprint car crash in a month and he was quite adamant in defending sprint racing. At Pocono, when asked about an earlier sprint crash, he seemed rather “Stewartish” in his response.

“You mortals have got to learn, you guys need to watch more sprint car videos and stuff,” he said Friday at Pocono. “It was not a big deal. It’s starting to get annoying this week about that. That was just an average sprint car wreck. When they wreck, they get upside down like that.”

Well… This one got him. And it has likely chilled his hopes to catch “The Chase”. He’ll have to come back with solid runs and single digit finishes if he hopes to grab even a wild card.

Now – Don’t get us wrong. We like Tony Stewart. Every time there has been personal contact he has been fun, jovial and downright pleasant. There is respect for his drive to win and his passion for racing of any kind. However… There is a bit of a question mark on his decisions to go off course and race slipitty-slidey sprint cars when “The Chase” is this tight and 11th at this point is no guarantee. We hope his recovery is quick and he makes it in. A “Chase” without Stewart chasing it just wouldn’t be as much fun.

The doctors, or Stewart, are not likely to rush back in. “The Chase” for 2013 is one thing but next season there are bigger deals in the works. With Kevin Harvick coming on board and the change-over to Harvick from Ryan Newman presenting new challenges, a leg out on this season may be small potatoes in comparison.

However… You do have to wonder… Friends they may be… You just have to wonder if Ryan Newman didn’t hold back on a little bit of a chuckle when he heard about Stewart’s leg…

Best of and a fast recovery for Tony Stewart. As for Watkins Glen, it has been announced by Stewart-Haas Racing that Max Papis will hold the wheel of the #14 Chevy. Papis is familiar with Watkins Glen through Grand-Am and NASCAR and has Indy and Formula 1 credits. He should be fine. Michigan, Bristol and Atlanta are on the schedule before Richmond. Who is in the #14 and when beyond The Glen will be key coming away from Richmond.

Let’s hope it is Tony Stewart.