With the finish line in sight and only four races to go before the playoffs kick off at Darlington Raceway, the heat is on for every driver and their teams. It’s now or never. Outside of the leading trio—William Byron, Denny Hamlin, and Kyle Busch—most are champing at the bit for a single win or another to punch their playoff ticket. Even NASCAR’s golden boy-the most famous driver of Hendrick Motorsports, Chase Elliott, is no exception, striving to clinch a spot in the elite top four.

The burning topic found its way to the table when two NASCAR insiders joined host Dustin Long on Motorsports on NBC. They traded thoughts on who could be feeling the squeeze the most and who might be left in the dust. Offering a fly-on-the-wall perspective was the pit reporter from NASCAR on NBC, dropping some intriguing tidbits about which team might be feeling the squeeze the most in NASCAR as of now.

On the Ropes or Ruling the Roost? Hendrick Motorsports’ Playoff Predicament

According to NASCAR insiders, while many teams not yet in the playoff circle might feel like a fish out of water, the grapevine suggests Hendrick Motorsports is the one walking the tightrope. 

Hendrick Motorsports, with Kyle Larson and William Byron already in their playoff arsenal, are already in a good spot. Yet why, according to Parker Kligerman, a pit reporter for NASCAR on NBC, it could be Hendrick Motorsports that might be feeling more pressure than any other team? According to him, the weight of expectation rests heavily. With NASCAR’s golden boy, Chase Elliott, and the rising star, Alex Bowman, yet to clinch their playoff berths, the team is possibly between a rock and a hard place. And while it would be easier for them to aim at the low-hanging fruit by targeting someone like Michael McDowell, getting both Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman into the playoffs could still be a Herculean task.

Kligerman muses, “Who they knock out, I am not exactly sure; my heart hopes that Michael McDowell can pull this off and get in the playoffs, but obviously, he’d be the easy target for them to knock out. But I do believe Hendrick Motorsports will get one of those cars, but not both, into the playoffs this year. And I think if I looked at it and thought, Okay, who’s going to pull that off? In my opinion, it would be Chase Elliott in that 9-car and maybe at a road course winning or even winning at Daytona, that sort of thing, to get themselves in the playoffs. But I think they have a tall task if they were to get both cars in; I don’t see it happening.”

And Kligerman isn’t alone in this boat. Whispers among NASCAR insiders suggest a glimmer of hope specifically for Chase Elliott to clinch his playoff berth, making the series a nail-biter for fans and teams alike.

Watch This Story: Chase Elliott Fails To Follow in His Father’s Footsteps

NASCAR experts maintain their confidence in the potential for unforeseen developments to arise at the last moment

In a tête-à-tête with Jeff Burton and NBC’s Marty Snider, Steve Letarte placed all his chips on ‘The Golden Boy,’ even in the eleventh hour.

Snider, playing devil’s advocate, sought clarity on Letarte’s unwavering faith in Chase’s ability to clinch a win on any track. In response, Letarte candidly admitted, “I’ll concede that Chase Elliott hasn’t shown me winning speed, but I’ll also challenge you to tell me that the fastest cars won every week… because I don’t think that’s true. […] If you count that guy out… and the power of Hendrick Motorsports, I think that’s a major mistake!”

And it’s not just Letarte and the fans singing this tune; it’s also the powers that be in the NASCAR echelons who are crossing their fingers for an Elliott resurgence. That’s because, with Elliott’s vast fan base, his sitting out the playoffs could see their ratings take a nosedive.

Read More: Chase Elliott’s Massive Playoff Roadblock, Bubba Wallace, Eyes Critical Michigan Redemption