Brad Keselowski Taps Backup Driver Amid Daytona 500 Uncertainty

Back in December, Keselowski endured a freak accident while slipping on parking lot ice during a family ski trip. This caused Keselowski to fracture his right femur, and subsequently, he had surgery. Though Keselowski walks with a cane, he seems to walk fine enough, per videos of him on the pit lane. NASCAR clearly approved his return to racing, indicating that Keselowski can race his car to the standards.

The news of a backup driver does not need to cause immediate panic. Keselowski is hurt, and he may require an insurance policy for this race weekend. He does plan to race, despite the padding for RFK Racing in the form of David Ragan.

Ragan is not the backup solely for the race itself. At any point this weekend, he could sit in the No. 6 RFK Racing Ford. Ragan could practice, qualify, etc.

David Ragan and RFK Racing

The return of Ragan would be nothing too surprising. He has ties with NASCAR, of course, as one of their one-track driver analysts.

Ragan has a lasting relationship with Roush-Fenway-Keselowski Racing. At the ripe age of 18, Ragan was slotted into their vehicles in the Truck Series and the O'Reilly Series. In 2007, Ragan finished as runner-up in rookie of the year honors.

In 2024, Ragan made a feature return to RFK Racing. A part of their #Stage60 program, Ragan hopped in the No. 60 car and took on the Daytona 500. He would qualify in 40th place, but climb all the way up to finish 20th.

Moving on, Ragan raced for multiple teams throughout his 14-year career. He would end his racing campaign with four wins in 606 races across all three NASCAR divisions. To date, Ragan works closely with NASCAR and Ford Performance. Given his track record, he's an easy fit for the job if he needs to perform it.

We'll keep you updated if Keselowski's limitations worsen.