NASCAR Driver Brad Keselowski Spotted Using a Cane — What Happened?

Fans of racecar driver Brad Keselowski are asking what happened after he returned to the sport for a test drive at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Feb. 9, 2026, and he was cleared to race in the Daytona 500 on Feb. 15 at the Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 11.

Brad reportedly had an accident in December of 2025 while on vacation, and it led to him missing several races. According to the Associated Press, the NASCAR driver returned with a cane in tow, and folks are asking what happened to Brad.

Brad broke his right leg after he fell while on a skiing trip. He reportedly slipped while on the trip in the middle of December, and he had surgery the following day before spending weeks recovering from a broken femur. The racecar driver later recalled how painful the break was during the Daytona 500 media day on Feb. 12, and he said it was the worst pain he's ever experienced.

"What was going through my mind was like, ’Oh my God. Think about the soldiers in the Civil War," Brad said. "They just would cut their leg off right here. And I understood why they would do it because it hurt so bad. It was by far the worst pain I’ve ever went through. I get why they would bring out the hacksaw. There was part of me that’s like, ‘That might actually feel better.'"

Brad shared a video of himself recovering on X with the caption, "So much work to get here! Special thanks to my family, the 6 crew, all the medical professionals, and my fans for all your help and support. On to Daytona."

The video was also shared by RFK Racing with the caption, "Hard work pays off. There's no one else we'd rather have in the seat. Brad Keselowski. The No. 6. The Daytona 500. BAD BRAD IS BACK!"

Brad missed the pre-season NASCAR exhibition race at Bowman Gray Stadium, and he commented on it at the Media Day event.

"I knew I was probably going to get picked on a little bit," he admitted, per NASCAR. "So, I might as well just at some point own it. I won’t say it (the decals) was my idea, but I actually thought it was a good one.”

His full recovery is expected to take another six months.

“I’m eight weeks in," said Brad of his recovery. "And until about three-to-five weeks in, there was a question if I was going to walk again, let alone drive a race car. Those were the thoughts that were going through my mind. I was confident I was going to put the work in, and I was going to own whatever result there was."

Brad will drive a No. 6 Ford for RFK Racing at the Daytona 500 on Sunday.