Cherryfield NASCAR Busch Grand National driver Andy Santerre said he is “groggy” but relatively pain-free thanks to medication after Monday’s surgery to mend four broken bones.

Santerre had three breaks in the bones around his right kneecap and another break in a bone down by his shin.

“The doctors haven’t said much to me. But I guess the surgery went well,” said Santerre from his room at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C., Tuesday.

The 1998 Busch Grand National Rookie of the Year, who was injured in a crash during the NAPA Auto Parts 300 at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, said he will be on crutches for two to three months “but I should be back racing by June or July, no problem at all.

“It’s disappointing because it was going to be a good year for us. This is a real setback,” said Santerre.

However, he also acknowledged that his injuries “could have been worse.”

He said the crash sequence began on lap 24 when Jeff Purvis checked up to avoid a crash up ahead involving Michael Waltrip.

After taking a hit that damaged his car but not him, Santerre said, “my car went into a spin and I wound up hitting the parked car of Waltrip. That’s what did all the damage to me.”

Santerre said he and his MONRO Muffler Brake and Service team tried to get Winston Cup driver Ward Burton to race his Chevy Monte Carlo but Burton’s Winston Cup contract with Caterpillar/Siemens nixed that alliance.

“We’ve tried to get some other guys but the Winston Cup guys want a ton of money,” said Santerre. “We’ll get somebody until I get back.”