Brad Keselowski is all set to run this year’s Daytona 500, marking the beginning of the 2026 NASCAR season. He has received medical clearance to race the No. 6 RFK Racing Mustang in the annual crown jewel event, scheduled for this coming Sunday, February 15.
Well, Keselowski has been recovering from a broken right femur, the result of a ski trip he made last December. That’s also why he missed the unofficial season-opening Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray last Wednesday. Former Cup regular Corey LaJoie filled in for the 41-year-old speedster.
Missing the Clash won’t affect Keselowski’s total, but missing the Daytona 500 will. After all, it’s the first point-paying race of the season, and as per the official NASCAR rules, missing any points event usually results in an automatic exemption from the playoffs.
And even if a driver is granted a playoff waiver, NASCAR has the power to forfeit all playoff points accumulated by that driver throughout the regular season. Speaking with Jeff Gluck of The Athletic, Keselowski reflected on his Daytona 500 clearance and said,
“Getting cleared was a huge moment for me. You put in the work, you trust the process, but until you hear that final ‘yes,’ nothing is guaranteed. Knowing what Daytona means, and how hard it would have been to miss it, made this moment even bigger.“
“I’ve won at Daytona, but I haven’t won the 500, and that’s always been one I want,” he continued. “After everything it took to get back to this point, having another chance at it means everything.”
In fact, the Daytona 500 is the only Crown Jewel race that Brad Keselowski hasn’t won yet. He has been racing full-time in the Cup Series for over a decade and a half now, and during that stretch, the Rochester Hills native has gathered 36 wins. Brad Keselowski is also a former NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion with 39 career wins in that series.
Brad Keselowski reveals NASCAR license status
A fractured leg wasn’t the only reason why Brad Keselowski missed the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Clash this year. Ahead of the 200-mile exhibition event, the Ford icon revealed that he didn’t have a valid NASCAR driving license and would need to acquire one through a test session at Daytona on Monday, February 9.
When asked if he would be fit to race at the iconic Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Keselowski clearly stated that he wouldn’t. At the time, he also mentioned that he didn’t have a valid NASCAR racing license.
“Short answer- NO. Long answer- I don’t currently have a valid NASCAR driver’s license,” Brad Keselowski wrote on social media. “Scheduled to take the different tests end of the week. Must pass to drive the car at DAYTONA or anywhere else. Big week ahead.”
Fans can watch Keselowski in action at Daytona only on FOX, starting at 2:30 pm ET, or listen to live radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
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