Brad Keselowski has two wins and a 12.13 average finish in 24 starts at Darlington Raceway, but this is his first year facing NASCAR’s oldest track while recovering from a broken leg.
“Driving a race car is a blessing and a curse,” Keselowski said. He broke his right femur/thigh bone last December while skiing with his family.
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Keselowski’s injury required surgery and the insertion of a rod. Initially, he wondered if he would ever be able to walk again when he had six months to recover. He sat out Bowman Gray’s Cook Out Clash but drove his RFK Racing Ford in the season opener at Daytona. Keselowski has not finished outside the top 20 in the first five races of the season. However, he only had one top-five finish and two top-10 finishes.
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“I’m taking X-rays all the time,” said Keselowski, whose days are filled with physical therapy. “I have a lot of hardware in my legs that holds the legs together, and if that hardware came loose, it would be problematic for me at this point.”
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Keselowski’s 12.13 average finish at the historic 1.366-mile Darlington Raceway ranks third among active drivers. First place was Denny Hamlin (7.89) and second place was Tyler Reddick (11.54).
Keselowski, whose last Darlington victory came in the 2024 Goodyear 400, believes this year’s event will be a “very tough race.” It was more difficult than usual due to his physical condition and the new package with 750 horsepower, less downforce and softer right-side tires.
“My eyes were wide open,” Keselowski said. “The biggest thing I’m thinking about at Darlington is that over the last two or three seasons it’s been almost impossible to do 50 laps with the next generation car, and now that we have more horsepower and less aero, I don’t know if we’ll be able to do 35 laps. So, it’s going to be a huge challenge to keep up with the tires. It’s always a heavy lift, but now it’s a heavier lift.”
