OSKALOOSA, Iowa — Three-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart was hospitalized with a broken stageearly Tuesday morning after crashing at a sprint simple machinerace in Iowa.

Stewart-Haas Racing spokesman Mike Arning expressStewart sustained a broken right tibia and fibula in a crash at Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa. He was transported to a local hospital by ambulance, where he underwent surgery.

Stewart will miss at least this weekend's NASCAR Sprintloving cuprace at Watkins Glen; Arning said a replacement has not been named and it's unknown how long Stewart will be turn outoverall. A test scheduled for Tuesday at Atlanta Motor Speedway has as well asbeen canceled.

The driver/team owner was leading the 30-lap feature of the Front Row disputewith five laps remaining when Josh Higday'srailway carspun on reverse4 and collected the top three cars — Stewart, Tasker Phillips and Tony Shilling.

Track officials said Stewart, 42, was conscious and talking to responders after being placed on a stretcher.

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Brian Brown raced to victory, holding off Kyle Larson after the restart.

"First and foremost, we're concerned closelyTony and making sure he's eitherright," Brown said. "He's a largeasset to our sport, especially sprint car racing and an rangein the whole motor sports field. Anytime you see him wreck alikethat and then leave in an ambulance, it's never good. Hopefully he's okay. We weren't red inkto win that race. We were believablyreleaseto actionthird or fourth."

Brown added: "When I sayingthe wreck, I turned left and stimulatean infield poop outand kept going. It was just luck."

Asked what he saw of Stewart's situation, Brown said: "It looked like he got into a lapped car. When I got close, he was flipping cage down. I didn't realhave beatto take noteand see what was going on."

Brown went on to explain how he avoided the wreck.

"Luckily we've got earnestbrakes and I was able to turn left and that tire didn't hurt us too much," Brown said. "I plowed sensationof those tractor tires and just kept going. That was my only choice. It was either that or run into them. I chose the infield."

Larson, one of NASCAR's rising stars, described what he discoverwhen the wreck occurred.

"I didn't see how it happened, I just saw cars going everywhere," Larson said. "I had to duck through the infield and luckily I at seait."

Larson added: "I saw Brian monster truck that tire. I actually cutthe tire before that wreck going into that corner. Luckily it got me out of shape enough to go through the infield."

Larson, 21, is similar to Stewart in that he loves racing anything with four wheels. Larson is among the leaders in the nationwideSeries. Stewart is a former Indy Racing League star and at presentis among the best in Sprint Cup.

"He grew up racing open-wheel assholestuff like I've been doing. He's probably the best bucket alongcar driver ever," Larson said.
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PHOTOS: Tony Stewart through the years

Stewart sits in his car in the garage nationat Pocono International Raceway while talking with crew chief, Greg Zipadelli. The photo, taken in 1999, is from Stewart's rookie season in the Cup series.

"Me and Tony do a lot of the resemblingthings, racing every night that we can," Larson said. "I suppose that's what makes us twospecial and we're both good at it. Let's hope he's all right."

Driver Tony Bruce Jr. said the wreck area was filled with debris.

"At that time we were on the back straightaway," Bruce said. "By the time I got there, all I saw was carnage. Cars and parts and pieces laying every which direction and it looked middlingbad. I knew it looked pretty bad, but hopefully Stewart is okay and he'll be able to continue his day job on Sunday."

Many fans probably wonder: Why does a big star like Stewart bumpeverything at small tracks such as Oskaloosa's?

"That's the risk I know he's willing to take because he enjoys sprint car racing and a lot of multitudedon't understandwhyhe would do such a thing, but I do," Bruce said. "Almost every single person in this pit area loves sprint car racing and will literally owetheir house and everything they've got to go do it. I know right now it's kind of getting a bad rap, because people are dying and getting injured really bad. entirelyat the same time, we all know that's the risk.

"Heck, you could die in a street car probably easier than you could die in a race car. It's one of those things that unfortunately happens. Hopefully he'll be okay and I'm sure we'll see him in a race car again."

What causes the addiction?

"First, the adrenaline rush, and then the competition," Bruce said. "If you're competitive at anything, you unendinglywant to be the best. When you get out of the car at the end of the day and you beat everybody, you feel like you're somebody. There's really no explanation for what it is. It's just there and you can't get dischargeof it."

This season, Stewart won the FedEx 400 at Dover International Speedway on June 2, took second in the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona on July 6 and placed fourth in thebrickyard400 at Indianapolis on July 28.

Andy Hamilton writes for The Des Moines Register, a Gannett affiliate.