Brad Keselowski, who is recovering from a serious leg injury, admitted that getting off “addictive” pain medication to get his NASCAR licence back was “very hard.” The RFK Racing owner and driver was prescribed the opioid and oxycodone after his leg surgery late last year.

Keselowski got hurt during a family ski trip on December 18, 2025. He slipped on ice, broke his right femur, and underwent surgery the same day. His tight recovery schedule put him on track to return for the Daytona 500 in mid-February, but Keselowski arrived at the track still using a cane and dealing with lingering pain. He described the injury as the worst pain he had ever experienced.

The 42-year-old opened up about his recovery struggles and shared how he had to stop using the painkiller before the NASCAR Cup Series opener on February 15.

“I used (oxycodone) for probably the first three to four weeks, and you’re not allowed to race on that. I had to pass a drug test, so I had to be off of it for at least two weeks to get it out of my system. So I backed up from Daytona,” Brad Keselowski said, via The Tennessean.

“I was like, ‘If I’m going to run Daytona, I’ve got to quit this stuff.’ It was hard. That stuff’s very addictive. It works, I’ll give it that. But it’s very addictive.”

The 2012 Cup Series champion had less than two months to heal, regain mobility, and meet NASCAR’s medical standards. He missed the preseason Clash event, but continued his rehabilitation. And doctors cleared him for the season-opening race on February 9, which he finished with a fifth place at Daytona International Speedway.

Keselowski is not at full strength. He expected to be fully recovered in the next 30 to 60 days.

Brad Keselowski looks to break winless streak at Darlington

Brad Keselowski added another top-10 to his tally this past weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and looks to collect his first win in over two years. His last Cup win also came at Darlington Raceway during the spring of 2024.

“I want to win races, and we’re not there. But we’re competitive. We’re putting up solid finishes. We need to win more stage points. But we’re doing the things we need to do to push our way through the season,” Brad Keselowski said.

Heading into the sixth race of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season at Darlington, Keselowski is 12th in the Cup Series standings and has not finished worse than 20th so far. Meanwhile, his RFK Racing No. 17 Ford driver Chris Buescher sits in ninth, with another two top-10 finishes, and Ryan Preece (No. 60) is 13th on the points table.

The 2026 Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway is scheduled for 3:30 pm ET this Sunday, March 22.