NASCAR Cup Series

Tony Stewart uses Periscope to discuss off-road accident

Published Feb. 12, 2016 11:20 a.m. ET

foxsports

Using Periscope to speak out for the first time since suffering a burst fracture of his L1 vertebra in an off-road accident on Jan. 31, Tony Stewart provided an update on his condition Friday morning.

"We are doing much better," said Stewart while walking on a treadmill with music blaring in the background. "We're starting to get the pain under control. I just didn't want everybody to think while everybody was at Daytona today that I was just sitting on my ass here in Charlotte. I just got on the treadmill for a little while and I'm supposed to be on it two or three times a day. ...

"Walking actually feels pretty good for my back right now. They either want me laying flat on my back or walking. They don't want me sitting up or standing in one spot, so if I'm up I've got to be walking. If I'm not up I've got to be laying down."

In describing the accident, which occurred while Stewart was driving an all-terrain vehice on the West Coast, the three-time Sprint Cup champion said: "I've never been hurt so bad running 5 mph in my life," adding that he estimates his ATV fell 20-25 feet off the lip of a dune before diving nose-first into sand.

If you missed the Periscope session that @TonyStewart held earlier today, you also missed this image of his back! pic.twitter.com/jCSwpsBpHS
— SiriusXM NASCAR (@SiriusXMNASCAR) February 12, 2016