There have been questions ever since mid-December, when he broke his right femur in a fall while on a ski trip, regarding whether or not RFK Racing's Brad Keselowski would be good to go in time for this coming weekend's 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.
Keselowski, who underwent surgery for the injury, missed the preseason Cook Out Clash exhibition race last week, with Corey LaJoie filling in for him behind the wheel of the No. 6 Ford, and without a valid NASCAR driver's license, he noted that he needed to meet a certain set of criteria to be cleared to return.
He needed to no longer be prescribed any pain medication, and he needed to be able to not only walk at a reasonable level but to be able to get in and out of his race car. He also needed to show signs of bone regeneration in his X-rays.
Keselowski has officially checked off all of those boxes, and he has been cleared to return to action.
The confirmation officially makes him the 36th confirmed driver of a chartered car on the Daytona 500 entry list, and it's a significant addition, given Keselowski's superspeedway prowess and his status as one of the favorites whenever NASCAR visits a drafting track.
LaJoie will not be needed to fill in for his boss behind the wheel of the No. 6 Ford, although he is still set to drive the non-chartered (open) No. 99 Ford. There are expected to be eight open cars battling for the final four spots in the 41-car field.
Daytona 500 practice is scheduled to take place on Wednesday morning, followed by single-car qualifying around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) high-banked Daytona Beach, Florida oval later in the evening. The two 60-lap America 250 Florida Duel races are scheduled to take place on Thursday night. Fox Sports 1 is set to provide live coverage of both days.
Live Daytona 500 coverage is set to be provided by Fox beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 15. Start a free trial of FuboTV and don't miss any of the action!