NASCAR Cup Series champion undergoes surgery for broken leg

Brad Keselowski hopes to be able to compete in the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500 in February.
Brad Keselowski, RFK Racing, NASCAR
Brad Keselowski, RFK Racing, NASCAR | Christian Petersen/GettyImages

To say the very least, the current NASCAR offseason has not given fans a ton of great news, and after one of the darkest days in the sport's history on Thursday, that trend continued on Friday.

RFK Racing announced that driver and team co-owner Brad Keselowski suffered a broken right leg in a ski trip on Thursday with his family, requiring him to undergo surgery.

The good news is that the team also announced Friday that the 41-year-old Rochester Hills, Michigan native did successfully undergo surgery.

The driver of the No. 6 Ford also shared the news on social media.

With RFK Racing even considerately noting the untimely nature of their own announcement, Keselowski also managed to take the time to remember Greg Biffle after Thursday's tragedy, which Keselowski noted unfolded as he was preparing to go into surgery.

Brad Keselowski's 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season status

Keselowski is expected to make a full recovery and be back in time for the 2026 season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, which is scheduled to take place on Sunday, February 15. No specific note was shared for his status for the preseason Cook Out Clash exhibition race at Bowman Gray Stadium on Sunday, February 1.

The 2012 Cup Series champion has yet to win the Daytona 500 in 16 attempts, and given his series-best seven career victories at drafting tracks, including one at Daytona in the summer of 2016, he is widely considered one of the best drivers to have never won the "Great American Race".

The 2026 season is set to be Keselowski's 17th season as a full-time Cup Series driver and fifth with RFK Racing. His one win since joining the team came at Darlington Raceway in 2024. He missed the playoffs in 2025 after qualifying in both 2023 and 2024, though his numbers were historically good, even if largely under-the-radar, for a driver who did not manage to find victory lane.

He finished the season with a second place finish at Phoenix Raceway, tying his best results of the season from September at Bristol Motor Speedway and June at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Fox is set to provide live coverage of the 68th annual Daytona 500 from the "World Center of Racing" starting at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 15, 2026.