In December 2025, Brad Keselowski broke his right femur after he slipped on ice while skiing. While he managed to make an exceptional turnaround and finish in the top 10 at the Daytona 500, there's trouble on the horizon. 

Due to his ongoing recovery, the demanding Circuit of the Americas (COTA) could be too much, making Joey Hand the likely replacement in the No. 6 car.

“Atlanta's gonna ramp up the intensity. It's not necessarily a faster race track, but since it's smaller, you carry a lot more G-forces here. So it's a little bit more physical workload.” He continued,

"And then COTA next week will be a big challenge. So I'm gonna get through this weekend and see how it goes before making a decision on COTA, but I'm feeling good for Atlanta,” said Keselowski. 

He confirmed Hand, Ford's reserve driver for road courses and a winner in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 24 Hours of Daytona, and 12 Hours of Sebring, as the backup. 

“We're glad to have him. He's the Ford reserve driver for all the road courses, and he's just won all the big races that you can win across the globe. So a great guy, too."

Keselowski said upcoming medical and physical tests after the Atlanta race will help him make the decision.

“I’m going to see how I feel,” Keselowski said. “I’ve got more tests next week to get through—a medical test and a physical test. I’ll probably see how those go and make a decision on what’s best for the team.”

Brad Keselowski Blamed 23XI Driver for Wreck at Daytona 500

“The 35 [Herbst] just wrecked me out of nowhere for no reason. That was one of the d******* things I've ever seen," Keselowski told reporters outside the medical center.

Riley Herbst attempted to hold onto his position while Tyler Reddick battled for the lead. Riley Herbst threw a block just as Brad Keselowski attempted to make a move around the outside.

Keselowski’s front-left tire was buried into Herbst’s rear-right, and it triggered a massive wreck.

This frustration is building from Keselowski’s close calls in past Daytona 500 races. He even had back-to-back top 5 finishes in 2013 and 2014.

“He had no chance of blocking my run. I had a huge run. I don’t know if I could have gotten the 45 [of Reddick] or the 47 [of Stenhouse], but I would have liked to find out because my run was coming fast, and the 35 just wiped himself and us. Pretty s******.”

Yet, what do you think? Will Brad Keselowski be fit enough to race at COTA? Tell us in the comments.

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Kaamna Dwivedi

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi