DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Brad Keselowski worked his way through Daytona 500 Media Day with the help of a cane, one featuring logos for RFK Racing sponsors. It was not comfortable, but it was better than the alternative.
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At one point, the 2012 Cup Series champion did not know if he would ever walk again after falling and breaking his femur in mid-December.
"I'm eight weeks in and I'll tell you until about three to five weeks in there was a question of if I was gonna walk again let alone drive a race car," Keselowski said on Wednesday. "Those were the thoughts that were going through my mind.
"I was confident I was gonna put the work in and I was gonna own whatever result there was. There was certainly a lot of moments where you're like, 'Oooh, this isn't a layup.' About that week four, week five, I made some pretty big steps and progress quite literally, but, again, I didn't know until I got in the car what it was gonna be."
BK’s owning the cane this weekend 🩼 pic.twitter.com/ZZh4MXFGBy
— RFK Racing (@RFKracing) February 11, 2026
Keselowski has enjoyed multiple sessions in the Cup Series car since undergoing surgery and doing extensive rehab. He took part in a test at Charlotte Motor Speedway to receive medical clearance for the season. He then took part in Wednesday morning's practice session at Daytona International Speedway.
What Keselowski learned during these sessions is that he can push the pain aside at certain times. Once his heart rate is elevated, he isn't thinking about his femur or anything associated with his injury. It's all about what he needs to accomplish behind the wheel.
"When I'm in the car I know I've got an injury, don't get me wrong, but I feel the best in the car," Keselowski said. "The seat is molded to me really well and you get a little adrenaline flowing, so I felt pretty good."
Wednesday marked significant progress for Keselowski, who said that the pain from his broken femur made him think of Civil War soldiers who would just cut their legs off. He went from the worst pain he's ever felt to getting back behind the wheel and completing 10 laps.
But this was only another step for the veteran driver. The next big test will be Thursday night. He will have to complete one of the Duel races, which lasts 60 laps. This will let him know if he is truly ready for 500 miles of racing on Sunday afternoon, as well as other upcoming races on the schedule.
"I felt good enough today to easily do the Duel," Keselowski said after practice. "The Duel is a 50 or 60 laps, which is roughly just over a quarter of the race, probably 27-28 percent of the race.
"It'll be a tremendous indicator of what I'll have for Sunday. Thankfully, the way this race week works you get these little bites and doses and each one of them a little more intense and we can get a good feel for it."
