NASCAR Truck Series driver Stewart Friesen shares appreciation for Grandview Speedway

Apr. 7—After he finished 19th in the NASCAR Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia on Friday night, Stewart Friesen made the roughly six-hour drive to Grandview Speedway on Saturday morning.

Despite the quick turnaround, Friesen was poised to get back to Grandview for the first time in several years and compete at the one-third mile dirt track located outside Bechtelsville in Washington Township.

"Just a really awesome racetrack," Friesen said before the race on Saturday. "We try to get here every chance we can get."

Making his first appearance at Grandview since the Freedom 76 in September 2020, Friesen finished second in the Bruce Rogers Memorial Money Maker on Saturday night. The Sprakers, New York driver started the 50-lap feature from the third position.

"A lot of passionate race fans, whether they're cheering for us or booing us," Friesen said about the crowds at Grandview. "It's just cool to see that old-school mentality that you have here."

The season-opening big-block and small-block modified combined event featured 51 total entries. Friesen was unable to run down Mike Mahaney, as the fellow New York driver led every lap to score the win.

"Just a really, really fun racetrack," Friesen said. "It's always pretty wild. Just always a big atmosphere here and (it's) a lot of fun to be a part of that."

Stewart's second-place finish marked his 40th career appearance at Grandview and 17th top-five finish. He won a Race of Champions Dirt Modified Tour event at the track in 2010, the Freedom 76 in 2014 and the season openers in 2014 and 2018.

"I have a lot of laps here over the years," Friesen said. "We were fortunate to win the 76er once and this race a couple years ago."

Friesen, 40, was born in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada and has raced at dirt tracks across the northeastern United States and Canada for over two decades. He has 345 career modified victories.

Friesen has already scored two wins in eight races this season. He races primarily with the Super DIRTcar Series and the Short Track Super Series in events up and down the East Coast.

"It's just part of my life and part of my family's (life)," Friesen said. "It's just what we do."

Friesen is in his ninth season in the NASCAR Truck Series and seventh as a full-time competitor. He has three career wins and finished a career-best fourth in the points standings in 2019.

Friesen's first win in the series came in the 2019 Eldora Dirt Derby at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. He also won at Phoenix Raceway in 2019 and Texas Motor Speedway in 2022.

"The modified stuff keeps my sanity," Friesen said. "The truck stuff gets pretty crazy (and) it's been pretty crazy this year. It's nice to come do some 'real' racing."

While Friesen competes at dozens of tracks across North America every year, his respect and passion for Grandview remains strong.

"Brad (Missimer) and the whole Rogers family, they just do a great job with this place," Friesen said. "(They) put their heart and soul into the track prep behind it. As racers, you appreciate that."