The 2023 Cup Series regular season is steadily drawing to a close as only four races are remaining. While the playoff locked-in drivers are embroiled in a battle for the regular season championship title, a handful of teams on the other hand are finding themselves in a precarious spot. 

Witnessing a divide with two of its star drivers, Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman, teething on the edge of the playoff bubble, Hendrick Motorsports is tightly wound. But former driver turned NBC race analyst, Kyle Petty still hasn’t lost hope for Hendrick Motorsports.

Kyle Petty’s faith in Hendrick Motorsports remains unshaken

News of Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman failing to appease the NASCAR community with their 2023 performance has been piling up week after week. Yet to secure a race win or a playoff spot, the HMS duo has been on the receiving end of the NASCAR communities wrath. With pressure surmounting to secure a place in the playoffs, Chase Elliott even blamed himself for his #9 team’s poor performance. With a major portion of the NASCAR community writing off Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman from the playoff, Kyle Petty stands in disagreement.

Sitting down for a chat with Parker Kligerman and Dustin Long, Kyle Petty recently let his thoughts flow on the current state of Hendrick Motorsports’ playoff chase. Admitting the pressure is high on HMS to push their #9 and #48 teams into the playoffs, Petty said, “I don’t think the pressure the drivers put on themselves is just to go win because if you go and win, it solves everything. You know, we heard Chris Buescher say after he won, ‘Winning cures everything,’ and winning will cure everything for these organizations.

“The pressure that [Rick] Hendrick has with Ally, with Napa, with these sponsors that he has, that has to be weighing on these drivers’ minds in this organization and the leadership at that organization at some point in time.”

Refusing to count out Hendrick Motorsports’ #9 and #48 teams from the playoffs, the NBC race analyst further added, “But when in a couple of different road courses, in a wild card like Daytona, listen, it’s anybody’s game right now. So they can win their way in. But there’s 36 other guys, 35 other guys that are out there with them, they could also win. We saw as was mentioned earlier, you know, Austin Dillon from 16th to the win with a rain shower. That’s all it takes man, a few raindrops and you’re a champion.”

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As Kyle Petty still banks on Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman to make the playoff cut, the words of the NBC race analyst echo Kyle Larson’s thoughts at Pocono Raceway.

Kyle Larson expects his teammates to join the playoff run

Stepping foot in Long Pond for the 2023 HighPoint.com 400, Chase Elliott’s bad luck crept up during the qualifying round. Falling prey to a spin-out, Elliott’s #9 Chevy had to be towed into the pit, awarding him the 35th place on the starting grid. Alex Bowman to failed to deliver appeasing results as he claimed the 20th position in the qualifying round.

With HMS’ William Byron and Kyle Larson having locked themselves into the playoffs, Larson in a pre-race interview had high hopes for Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman. “They both have some really good tracks coming up. Chase especially with Watkins Glen, he’ll be the favorite there. So yeah, we’ll see, it’s gonna be tough for sure, but I know they can pull through”, the #5 HMS driver said.

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Now gearing up for the upcoming FireKeepers Casino 400 Cup Series race in Michigan, can Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman redeem themselves?