Brad Keselowski has had no easy road back to his race car. However, NASCAR revealed Monday that, after testing, he has received clearance to return to his No. 6 RFK Racing Ford at the Daytona 500. This comes after a two-month-long recovery process from a fractured femur in late 2025, following a skiing accident.
Luckily for Keselowski, this is no Chase Elliott situation.
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Despite being an injury sustained on a ski trip, it was not sustained while skiing. Keselowski went down on the ice in a parking lot. I think many of us have been there, especially if you live in the northern half of the U.S.
Keselowski confirmed on Feb. 1 on X that he had not yet regained his NASCAR license to run. His testing was postponed to Feb. 9, due to weather delays. Following the test, all results came back green, and he will race as RFK, shooting for conservative team victories after Ryan Preece’s win at the Clash.
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Brad Keselowski Gets the All-Clear to Race at Daytona
Keselowski has miraculously driven himself back onto the racetrack for America’s Great Race/ A femur can be a 3-to-6 month process, but he gets back in less than three total. In a statement, Keselowski expressed how thankful he is to get back on the track and how nothing is a sure thing until it actually happens.
Previously, Keselowski missed the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray. Given this fact, Corey LaJoie got the green light to race in the RFK No. 6 Ford. In that car, LaJoie went on to nearly win the race, battling with multiple cars until an unfortunate ending via bump from Ross Chastain.
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NASCAR Cup Series driver Brad Keselowski (6) talks to Chris Buescher (17) during practice for the Daytona 500. Peter Casey-Imagn Images
(Peter Casey-Imagn Images)
At Daytona, Keselowski has come close, but never has he sealed the deal. Most recently, he was involved in a last-lap wreck with Joey Logano in 2021 after they both nearly won the race as teammates. In total, Keselowski has 33 career races at Daytona, including one win (summer race), four top-5 finishes, and eight top-10 finishes.
The last time a driver returned to racing after a broken leg of sorts was Chase Elliott in 2023. This came on the actual slopes. That year, Elliott won zero races. These situations surely do not align, especially as Keselowski returns before the season begins. Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see if this affects Keselowski’s performance.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Feb 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the Racing section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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