A snowstorm has again forced NASCAR to move the ‘Cook Out Clash’ at Bowman Gray Stadium from Monday to Wednesday, but Brad Keselowski still will not drive the No. 6 Ford in the exhibition opener. The 2012 Cup champion confirmed that he lacks a current competition license and needs to clear medical tests later this week.
Keselowski broke his right femur during a ski trip on 18 December last year and underwent surgery the same night in Boone, North Carolina. The injury ended winter testing plans and led RFK Racing to tab Corey LaJoie as the stand-in driver for the Clash. The setback also means the 41-year-old star will miss his first NASCAR Cup Series start of 2026, though he hopes to return for the Daytona 500 on 15 February.
He explained why he would remain on the sidelines even with the two-day delay.
“I don’ t currently have a valid NASCAR driver’s license. Scheduled to take the different tests end of the week. Must pass to drive the car at DAYTONA or anywhere else. Big week ahead,” Brad Keselowski wrote on X.
Snow and ice blanketed central North Carolina on Saturday and made travel unsafe. That NASCAR is to wipe out all weekend track activity at the quarter-mile stadium. Officials first shifted practice and qualifying to Sunday, then pushed the entire program to Monday and then to Wednesday at 6 pm ET after another burst of winter weather.
Keselowski also commented on the same, writing:
“Imagining if the Daytona 500 was this weekend 🤩🤩”
The 2025 Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium will be NASCAR’s first points-free race at Bowman Gray.
Brad Keselowski Looking to Break Winless Streak in 2026
Brad Keselowski finished 21st in the 23-car field last season in the non-points exhibition race after running inside the top five early. During his 16th full NASCAR Cup Series season, he failed to land a win and collected three second-place finishes and 13 top-10 finishes. The RFK Racing No. 6 Ford ended the year ranked 20th in the final Cup Series standings and will aim to break his winless streak this season as soon as he can get his NASCAR license back.
The RFK Racing co-owner would return to the 2026 Daytona 500 on February 15 if he passes NASCAR’s mandatory medical clearance tests. Keselowski will have to pass all prescription pain medicine and walk well enough to climb out of the car without help for NASCAR doctors to clear him. Second, his medical tests are scheduled for February 5.
Also Read:
Bowman Gray update: NASCAR reschedules Clash as Winston-Salem continues storm recovery
Chase Eliott gets honest about “miserable” NASCAR days ahead of Cookout Clash at Bowman Gray
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