Brad Keselowski possesses two victories and a 12.13 average finish in 24 races at Darlington Raceway, but this is the first year he’s faced NASCAR’s oldest speedway while recovering from a broken leg.
“Driving the race car is a blessing and a curse,” said Keselowski, who broke his right femur/thigh bone in December while on a snow skiing trip with his family.
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“It’s a blessing because it provides the motivation for me to really push my rehab and do things faster than normal, which is not a bad thing. But it’s a curse because when I get in the car it does hurt, it does pull me backwards. When I have the adrenaline and all those things, I don’t really notice it, but when it wears off, I’ve got to recover from that.”
Keselowski’s injury required surgery and a rod insertion. Initially, he wondered if he would ever walk again when he was given a six-month recovery time. He skipped the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray but was in his RFK Racing Ford for the season opener at Daytona. In the season’s first five races, Keselowski hasn’t finished outside the top 20. However, he only has one top five and two finishes inside the top 10.
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“I keep having x-rays,” says Keselowski, whose days are filled with physical therapy. “I’ve got a lot of hardware in my leg that’s holding it together and if that hardware were to come loose it would be problematic for me at this time.”
At the 1.366-mile historic Darlington track, Keselowski’s 12.13 average finish is the third best among active drivers. First is Denny Hamlin with 7.89 and second is Tyler Reddick with 11.54.
Keselowski’s last Darlington victory came in the 2024 Goodyear 400, and he believes this year’s event will be a “really difficult race.” More difficult than normal because of his physical situation and the new package that has 750 horsepower, less downforce, and a softer right-side tire.
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“My eyes are wide open,” Keselowski says. “The biggest thing I’m thinking about at Darlington is to go 50 laps on a set of tires was almost impossible with the Next Gen car in the last two or three seasons, and now that we have more horsepower and less aero, I don’t know if we’re gonna be able to go 35 laps. So, keeping up with the tires is going to be a big challenge. It’s always a heavy lift, but it’s a heavier lift now.”
A North Carolina native, Deb Williams is an award-winning motorsports journalist who is in her fourth decade covering auto racing. In addition to covering the sport for United Press International, she has written motorsports articles for several newspapers, magazines and websites including espnW.com, USA Today, and The Charlotte Observer. Her awards include the American Motorsports Media Award of Excellence, two-time National Motorsports Press Association writer of the year, and two-time recipient of the Russ Catlin award. She also has won an award in the North Carolina Press Association’s sports feature category. During her career, Deb has been managing editor of GT Motorsports magazine and was with Winston Cup Scene and NASCAR Winston Cup Scene for 18 years, serving as the publication’s editor for 10 years. In 2024 she was inducted into the NMPA Hall of Fame.