CHARLOTTE, N.C. – NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski, a former series champion who is now co-owner of RFK Racing, broke his right leg while on a ski trip, the team announced Friday.
Keselowski underwent surgery Thursday and doctors have told him to expect a quick recovery that will have him back for the season-opening Daytona 500 in February. He is winless in 16 starts in the showcase race as he enters the final years of his driving career.
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“Life has a way of reminding you to slow down,” Keselowski posted on social media with photos of him in the hospital surrounded by his wife and children, an image of the break, and video of him using a walker. “Grateful for my family by my side, an excellent medical team, and the ability to take a few steps forward today. Focused on Daytona. Bonus — I'm now bionic!”
Keselowski did not reveal the extent of his injury, or what bones are broken.
Keselowski, who turns 42 just days before the Feb. 15 “Great American Race,” is entering his 17th full season of racing at the top Cup Series level. He spent the bulk of his career at Team Penske but purchased a stake in Roush Fenway Racing in 2022 and became an owner/driver of the rebranded team.
The organization is reeling from Thursday's fatal plane crash that killed longtime Roush driver Greg Biffle and six others, including his wife and two children. Biffle had retired by the time Keselowski joined the team.
“First and foremost, our hearts remain heavy with the news of yesterday's tragic events,” the team said. "The RFK Racing family, as well as the NASCAR community, as a whole, continues to keep those close to The Biffle Family and all those affected in our thoughts. Albeit untimely, we feel that in the interest of transparency we share RFK Racing co-owner and driver Brad Keselowski suffered a broken leg while on a ski trip with his family Thursday.”
The team called the surgery “routine” and said doctors expect a “a quick and full recovery.”
Keselowski broke his ankle in 2011 when he crashed during a test session and won a Cup Series race at Pocono just days later.
“I'm grateful to the medical team who took great care of me and for the support system around me,” Keselowski said in a statement. “I'm motivated to get back to full strength as quickly as possible and will work relentlessly to be ready for Daytona.”
Keselowski won the 2012 Cup Series championship for Penske and has 36 career victories at NASCAR's top level. He won the Xfinity Series title in 2010 and 39 races in NASCAR's second-tier series. He has won one points-paying race since leaving Penske as he works to help rebuild RFK into the once-proud organization founded by Hall of Fame team owner Jack Roush.
Chase Elliott, NASCAR’s most popular driver, missed six races in the 2023 season when he broke his leg in a snowboarding crash early in the season. Kyle Busch missed 11 races when he broke his leg in a crash at Daytona in 2015 but recovered to win the Cup championship that year.
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