Tony Stewart might have to retire sooner than expected.
The three-time NASCAR champion was injured in a non-racing accident on Sunday and has been hospitalized with a back injury, The Associated Press reported.
The Stewart-Hass Racing co-owner, who is retiring at the end of the 2016 NASCAR season, is being evaluated in an undisclosed hospital but is able to move all extremities.
According to Fox Sports, Stewart flipped a sand buggy near San Diego, taken to the hospital by EMT air rescue.
Stewart's spokesman Mike Arning told The AP that the driver's condition will not be updated again until Thursday.
"We have received word from Stewart-Haas Racing of Tony Stewart's accident and injury," said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France in a statement. "On behalf of everyone at NASCAR, I wish Tony a full recovery and look forward to seeing him back in our sport when he's ready to return."
Stewart, 44, missed a third of the 2013 season with a broken leg he sustained in a sprint car accident. With the Sprint Unlimited less than 10 days away and the Daytona 500 kicking off the 2016 season later this month, Stewart's start to his final season may be jeopardy. Source: 
Tony Stewart Injury Update from Stewart-Haas Racing
KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (Feb. 4, 2016) – Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, sustained a burst fracture of the L1 vertebra in an all-terrain vehicle accident Sunday while vacationing on the West Coast.
Stewart was transported to a local hospital following the non-racing accident and promptly evaluated. He was awake and alert throughout the process and able to move all of his extremities.
Stewart flew to North Carolina Tuesday evening and was admitted to a Charlotte-area hospital for further evaluation. On Wednesday, he underwent surgery.
The subsequent recovery period means Stewart will miss the beginning of the Sprint Cup season. A timetable for Stewart’s return has not been determined, but he is expected to make a full recovery and return to the No. 14 Chevrolet in 2016. Plans for an interim driver have not been finalized.
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