Brad Keselowski's participation in next weekend's Daytona 500 is going to come right down to the wire.
The former NASCAR Cup Series champion is still recovering from a broken femur suffered in a freak accident while on a ski trip with his family, and has not yet been medically cleared to race.
The 41-year-old had intended to have his test run on Friday to get his license back ahead of the Great American Race, but in what is swiftly becoming the theme of the 2026 NASCAR season, it has been pushed back by the weather.
Keselowski confirmed on social media that he will now run on Monday instead, giving him just two days leeway before the start of Cup Series practice and qualifying in Florida on Wednesday.
Keselowski's Daytona bid on knife edge
The veteran had previously confirmed: "I don’t currently have a valid NASCAR driver’s license. Scheduled to take the different tests end of the week. Must pass to drive the car at Daytona or anywhere else. Big week ahead."
Keselowski told FOX Sports' Bob Pockrass last month that his return is contingent upon three medical checkpoints: Not needing any prescribed pain medication, being able to walk at a reasonable level and be able to get in and out of the car, and having some sign of bone regeneration.
He also admitted at the time: "I've been doing this racing thing for a while, and I broke fingers, wrists, ribs, ankle. Before I was in racing, I broke my nose. I've broken a lot of different bones and parts of my body.
"I will tell you, none of them come close to hurting as bad as breaking your femur. It's a very painful injury, but the recovery is actually fairly similar in time and so forth. So I’ve just got to be tough and get through it."
