Home / NASCAR / Opinion: If Brad Keselowski Can’t Run Daytona 500, RFK Racing Should Absolutely Tap This Driver

Opinion: If Brad Keselowski Can’t Run Daytona 500, RFK Racing Should Absolutely Tap This Driver

Jared Turner Written by Sports EditorJared Turner
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Brad Keselowski

With the Daytona 500 less than a month away and Brad Keselowski’s driving status unknown as he nurses the right leg he broke in a skiing accident on December 18, RFK Racing says it intends to have on-again, off-again NASCAR Cup Series driver Corey LaJoie on standby for its No. 6 Ford if Keselowski can’t go.

The organization, which Keselowski both co-owns and drives for, has already said that LaJoie will sub for Keselowski in the preseason Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium.

Missing that event — an exhibition, non-points affair scheduled for February 1 — isn’t a big deal for Keselowski in the grand scheme of things. But potentially missing the Daytona 500 on February 15 is an altogether different matter.

RFK Racing, Brad Keselowski Should Go For Broke In Search For Daytona 500 Substitute

Along with being an ugly 0-for-16 in The Great American Race, Brad Keselowski — who turns 42 years old next month — is running out of chances to win it. But while the 2012 Cup Series champion has vowed to do everything within his power to heal up in time for the sport’s premier event, there’s no guarantee he will.

Faced with this possibility, Keselowski and RFK Racing should forget about Corey LaJoie, who is winless in 276 Cup Series starts and competed just four times in 2025.

Instead, RFK should choose a backup driver who gives the organization a real chance of winning in Keselowski’s absence — or if, suppose, Keselowski is able to start the 500 but can’t run the full 200 laps.

That driver, beyond a shadow of any doubt, is Martin Truex Jr.

Martin Truex Jr. Is Hands-Down The Best Fill-In For Brad Keselowski At Daytona

Barely heard from since hanging up his full-time driving helmet at the end of the 2024 Cup Series season, Martin Truex Jr. has made just one start. That lone outing, though, came in last year’s Daytona 500.

Truex suited up for fledgling TRICON Garage, which had technical support from his old team, Joe Gibbs Racing. Involved in a crash, Truex finished 38th in the 40-car field. It marked the latest and perhaps last disappointment for Truex in a slew of them at 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway, where he came within a foot of winning the 2016 Daytona 500 but is winless in 40 points-paying starts.

Given that the dearth of a Daytona 500 triumph is the only major blemish on Truex’s NASCAR Hall-of-Fame resume, which includes the 2017 Cup Series championship and 34 Cup victories, it might not take much coaxing to convince the veteran driver to relieve Brad Keselowski in the most prestigious race on the NASCAR schedule.

And, having announced no racing plans for 2026, Truex may be available if RFK Racing needs him at the last minute.

If Keselowski and the organization know what’s good for them, they’ll give Truex a call today and nix the plan to have Corey LaJoie as a backup at Daytona. With all due respect to LaJoie, who is a really good guy, there’s simply no comparison between him and Truex. In fact, of all the drivers who could be legitimate fill-ins for Keselowski at Daytona, none are even remotely in Truex’s league.

Jared Turner Written by Sports EditorJared Turner
Jared Turner is a motorsports writer who has covered NASCAR for 20 years. He has interviewed over 20 NASCAR Hall of Famers and around 100 drivers, crew chiefs, and team owners, both past and present. He has also covered the sport for FOX Sports (where he was a two-time recipient of the FOX “X” Award for “Xtraordinary” job performance), NASCAR.com, Sporting News, NASCAR Pole Position Magazine, the SPEED network, and plenty of other online and print-only publications throughout his career. Notably, Jared has penned dozens of articles for NASCAR souvenir programs, including several featured prominently in Daytona 500 keepsakes. A Virginia Press Association award winner and former member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA), Jared has racked up accolades both for his writing and his academic work. He studied both Communication and Psychology at Virginia Tech, where he was permanently enshrined in Phi Beta Kappa — the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society. Jared excels at feature writing and opinion writing, much of which stems from his dedication to all levels of racing.
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