Brad Keselowski Reminded of Horrific Injury as Jimmie Johnson’s Battle With Forgotten NASCAR Track Emerges

NASCAR Racing was very different in the last decade, from 2011 to 2020. The sport underwent a major restructuring, with massive technological changes to the race cars. This period saw the last bit of action with the Car of Tomorrow and then transitioned into the Gen 6 era. 2012 was the last year when NASCAR used the 850 horsepower-backed machines for its races, drivers didn’t need to demand more power during this era.

The racing hasn’t always been perfect with different race cars across different timelines of the sport. But, with the older generation cars, drivers had to ability to make or break their chances on the racetrack. This is something Brad Keselowski experienced during the 2011 test run at Road Atlanta as he had to be airlifted to a hospital after the crash.

Despite the bitter-sweet memories of the accident, Keselowski surprisingly is ready to undergo that painful experience once again. And he has his reasons for it.

Brad Keselowski recalls Jimmie Johnson’s heartfelt gesture

While video footage of massive crashes and accidents is often caught on camera, this incident wasn’t documented being a test session. During the session, the #2 Miller Lite-backed Penske Racing car had a brake failure. And this sent the driver crashing off the track at high speed. Keselowski hit the concrete wall with massive force, leading to huge damage to the race car as well as the driver.

Describing the feeling of what the impact was like for him, the RFK Racing driver explained, “I just wrecked really really hard, at that point I knew I could feel my legs but didn’t feel right and I was in extreme pain with my lower back.” Although Keselowski gingerly made his way out of his damaged race car, he had to be airlifted to a nearby hospital. Much to the relief of the race fans he provided a positive update on his condition through X. “Looks like I’ll be ok to race this weekend, but deuce, not so much. I’ll keep you posted.”

Interestingly, in the aftermath of the crash, HMS star driver Jimmie Johnson also reacted to this post and replied, “Glad you’re alright, man; you had us all worried.” As it turns out, now Brad Keselowski has reacted to a social media post from the test run at the same racetrack. Interesting part about this accident was that. It was Johnson who reached out to aid his on-track rival as the safety crew helped him get out of his race car. Keselowski had sustained lacerations to his right ankle and severe swelling on the other one.

In a video, the 7-time Cup Series champ is trying his best to churn out the best lap times with the Car of Tomorrow at Road Atlanta in 2012. Reacting to his post and recalling his incident at the racetrack a year before, Keselowski wrote, “No question about it, I’m ready to get hurt again.” Now this message also had a hidden meaning or a jab at the sanctioning body. And it’s not hard to guess that he may be referring to the performance of the car that had 850 horsepower. Well, the Next Gen cars are restricted to 670, and the engine power is restricted at the Superspeedway tracks like Daytona, Talladega, and Atlanta.

Interestingly, Dale Jr. is also connected with this accident that Keselowski suffered back in 2012. And despite being on the track by his side Jr. did reach out to help his friend.

Why was Keselowski disappointed with Dale Jr.?

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The two drivers may have traded blows with each other on the racetrack, but off the track they were good friends. It was Dale Earnhardt Jr. who gave Brad Keselowski his big break in NASCAR when he took charge of the #88 car in the Xfinity Series. Not only that, the former Penske driver was made to feel at home by Jr. as he offered him a stay in his guest house in North Carolina. Keselowski came from humble beginnings and wasn’t in a position to afford housing at the start of his career.

So you see the two share a good bond, but Keselowski was in disbelief as he recalled his horrifying accident and what happened after it. “I remember reaching over and shutting the car off, and I saw him out the corner of my eye. I could see his helmet and his shield, and he was looking at me; he was just staring. I remember yelling at him to come help me, but he couldn’t hear me, and he just stayed, and eventually the track safety crew came up.” Keselowski said this to Graham Bensinger.

While time had tested the relationship of the two friends, it is fair to say that they are on good terms. This was evident from Keselowski’s gesture towards his friend while speaking on the Happy Hour podcast. On the business side of things, Jr. is running his successful race team, JR Motorsports, in the Xfinity Series. Whereas Keselowski had also stepped his game up with an ownership role at RFK Racing.