Tony Stewart to miss Daytona 500 due to back injury

Tony Stewart has never won the Daytona 500. 

CHARLOTTE -- Tony Stewart will miss the start of his final NASCAR Sprint Cup season after undergoing back surgery Wednesday to repair a burst fracture of his L1 vertebra, Stewart-Haas Racing said Thursday.

An interim driver was not named and a timetable was not given for Stewart's return.

Stewart suffered the injury while riding in a sand car with a group in Southern California on Sunday. He was transported to a local hospital and then flown to North Carolina on Tuesday night, where he was admitted to a Charlotte-area hospital.

SHR said Stewart is expected to make a "full recovery" and return to the No. 14 car this season, which had already been announced as his last.

Stewart, 44, will miss the Daytona 500, a crown jewel event he has not won in his 17-year career.

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