Last week, Brad Keselowski said he had more tests and other things to overcome before being ready for this weekend's road course race at COTA. The left and right turns and having to brake so much make things more difficult than drafting track races on ovals.
Joey Hand was going to be on hand to act as Brad Keselowski's backup. The NASCAR champion won't need Hand anymore.
While he didn't say it directly, Keselowski has heavily hinted that he's good to go this week. Thanks to CAKE and their classic song "Going the Distance," and of course, the technology that is GIFs.
Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
You could say that Keselowski will be "churning and burning" as he yearns for the cup. Anyway, the driver seems to be fine after getting through his sim work, some go-karting, and an X-ray.
It's great to hear that Brad Keselowski is feeling better. He wants to compete, and he wants to stay in the car. Even if Joey Hand might be better on a road course, theoretically, Keselowski is a racer. Racers race. Even if they are recovering from a tough injury.
Keselowski hasn't had the best success on road courses. He wouldn't deny that. But that doesn't mean he's going to roll over and let things happen on Sunday. He will be racing hard the entire time. Who knows, he might have a good race and earn more points than he expects. If he can finish in the top-20, genuinely, that would be a good points day for him on a road course.
RFK Racing will have Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece in the field as well. Buescher is almost an automatic top-10 on the road course tracks. Last season, Preece showed a knack for road racing that I'm not sure many knew he had. He was impressive in multiple races going left and right.