Rick Hendrick’s struggling star could become Michael Jordan’s kryptonite at North Carolina

The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season has brought a lot of surprises so far. Although Rick Hendrick only has two drivers in the playoffs, he has seen a mixed bag of good and bad at Hendrick Motorsports. Meanwhile, Michael Jordan couldn’t be happier with his NASCAR team’s performance. However, one of HMS’s troubled riders could injure him.

It was a season to remember for 23XI Racing considering the performance of the drivers. With Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick still very active in the playoffs, this is a proud performance for Jordan and co-owner Denny Hamlin.

Michael Jordan needs to worry about Rick Hendrick’s out-of-form driver in North Carolina

With just five games left in the 2023 season, the stakes couldn’t be higher. The competition will only get more interesting as the Cup Series moves to Charlotte Roval next, as elimination rounds await four more drivers. For now, it appears that Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace, Ross Chastain and Kyle Busch will bid farewell to their playoff berths.

Unfortunately for Michael Jordan, both of his drivers stood below the cutoff and faced a tough task in North Carolina. However, he’s happy to know about Redick’s impressive record with Roval. In three races at the track, the No. 45 driver had one top-five finish, two top-10 finishes and a runner-up finish.

Not only that, but Reddick remains the only driver to have multiple road course victories, three of them, in a next-generation car. Wallace, on the other hand, has just one top-10 finish in five starts to worry about. For the 23XI Racing drivers, it doesn’t stop there. While Reddick’s record is impressive and Wallace has struggled, they need to be wary of Mr. Hendrick and his troubled driver.

Chase Elliott faces playoff trouble for the first time in his Cup career. However, that doesn’t change the fact that he performed well at Roval. In fact, he has the best track record among active drivers with two wins, two top-five finishes and three top-10 finishes.

Despite a mediocre season, Elliott excelled on the road. This year, he finished runner-up to Michael McDowell at Indy Road and finished fifth at Sonoma. Considering the 27-year-old is yet to win this season, Roval may offer the best chance given the remaining games.

Elliott will likely end up knocking out both of Jordan’s riders for the win. In fact, he definitely had the support of NASCAR insiders to get him along the way.

Chase Elliott expected to end winless drought at Charlotte Motor Speedway road course

It’s no secret that Chase Elliott is finding it hard to win with the next generation of cars. Having said that, it doesn’t take away from his driving skills, especially on the road. He already had seven wins at such tracks before the advent of Gen-7 cars, which is why noted journalist Jordan Bianchi recently endorsed him in The Athletic.

Watch this story: Chase Elliott’s NASCAR journey: Triumphs, trials and a billion-dollar sponsorship

Bianchi put a positive spin on the debate when asked if Elliott was the favorite for the Roval race. He said, “He entered the Roval looking more like his usual self than at some points in his last eight starts with six top-10 finishes. So he ended a year-long winless drought with a win on Sunday. No wonder.”

It’s worth noting that an Elliott win could be a disaster for Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace. In this case, the 23XI Racing driver would need to have a lot of fortune to survive in the event that Elliott wins. Do you think the No. 9 driver and Rick Hendrick can pull off a big win on Saturday? Let us know in the comments below.