One of the many negative storylines from this past NASCAR offseason had to do with Brad Keselowski breaking his right femur in a fall during a skiing trip, albeit not on the slopes.
Fortunately, it happened in mid-December, so he had enough time to recover to the point where he could compete in the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, even if he did have to miss the preseason Cook Out Clash exhibition race at Bowman Gray Stadium.
Back-to-back superspeedway races to start the season at Daytona and EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta Motor Speedway) probably presented the best-case scenario for the 42-year-old Rochester Hills, Michigan native, and he finds himself ninth in the point standings after posting finishes of fifth and 17th, respectively.
But Circuit of the Americas (COTA), a 17-turn, 2.4-mile (3.862-kilometer) road course in Austin, Texas, could prove to be a greater challenge with all the shifting involved.
Keselowski, who continues to walk with a cane, intends on being behind the wheel of the No. 6 Ford this weekend for the DuraMAX Grand Prix, but Joey Hand is on standby.
Joey Hand on standby for Brad Keselowski, RFK Racing at COTA
Joey Hand, a Ford factory sports car driver, has competed in nine NASCAR national series races, including eight at the Cup level, dating back to 2021.
All nine races have come on road or street courses, and he finished fourth in an RFK Racing Ford in his most recent Cup Series appearance on the streets of Chicago, Illinois back in 2024. His most recent NASCAR national series start came at Portland International Raceway with RSS Racing in 2025.
Should Keselowski need to miss Sunday's 95-lap race, he would undoubtedly be granted a playoff waiver, meaning that he would remain eligible to be a part of the 16-driver playoff field and his absence from this race would not count against that eligibility down the road if he ends the regular season inside the top 16 in the point standings.
Hopefully, however, it does not come down to that, just as it fortunately did not come to him needing David Ragan to get behind the wheel of the No. 6 Ford at Daytona or Atlanta.
Fox is set to provide live coverage of the DuraMAX Grand Prix from COTA starting at 3:30 p.m. ET this Sunday, March 1. Start a free trial of FuboTV and catch all of the action from the 2026 season's first road course race!