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Will Hendrick Motorsports' playoff hopes crumble at Roval, or can they pull off a miracle?

Hendrick Motorsports icon Jeff Gordon is gearing up to set new benchmarks back on the racetrack. No, he isn’t making a comeback to competitive racing but has found a new avenue that can cater to his racing needs. And it’s only possible because of a massive collaboration with Speedway Motorsports and HMS.

On Thursday, the two parties unveiled the creation of the Ten Tenths Motor Club. A racing facility spread across a 100-acre complex designed to attract motorsports enthusiasts and gearheads worldwide. Jeff Gordon, who was involved in creating the new facility, is eager to stamp his authority on the 1.7-mile circuit. And he couldn’t help but heap praise on the unique features of the circuit that help it stand apart from the rest of the facilities.

Jeff Gordon aiming for new records at the Ten Tenth Motor Club

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The Ten Tenth Motor Club is located adjacent to Charlotte Motor Speedway and the HMS campus. This new motor club features loads of unique features that are hard to fit into a single racing facility. It has three different configurations: a seven-turn 0.567-mile inner loop, a 13-turn 1.1-mile short track course, and a 19-turn 1.7-mile road course. This road course is the highlight of the circuit and is designed by F1 veteran and 2-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Alexander Wurz.

The construction work of the racing circuit is about to be completed and is scheduled for the grand opening on April 4-5, 2025. However, Jeff Gordon, who got the feel of the entire course, is looking to set the bar high with his objectives once it is operational. “My goal for this course is that I’m the one that has the most laps around here, and I want to hold that record. I plan on making a lot of laps around this track, and I’m already having a blast.” He said this during the unveiling of the new racing circuit.

Another distinct feature of the motor club is that it will be able to have night-time operation. This is indeed a big deal; not every NASCAR Cup Series venue can race under the lights. Highlighting this feature, Gordon added, “The speed feels faster, the grip level of the track changes, the nuances of the track change. I don’t know if there’s any other courses to have the ability to run as many laps in year-long in different conditions like this track is going to be capable of.” 

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Will Hendrick Motorsports' playoff hopes crumble at Roval, or can they pull off a miracle?

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Veteran team owner Mr. Rick Hendrick was also among the dignitaries present for the announcement. The first question everyone jumped to ask him was about his driver’s performances in the playoffs. Only William Byron has been able to lock himself for the next round, and with Roval lined up next, there are doubts surrounding the other three drivers’ championship runs.

All eyes will be on the HMS drivers at Roval

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Only two teams were able to have all their drivers through to the round of 12 after only Team Penske and Hendrick Motorsports achieved this feat. However, the non-playoff drivers have played major spoilers in the knockout stages so far. Apart from William Byron, all three HMS drivers are yet to lock themselves in the semi-final stages of the playoffs. What’s more concerning is that the last race of the Round of 8 stage is a road course race at Roval, which can be a wildcard event.

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Kyle Larson is in a good spot with a buffer of 52 points, but Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott will have to bring their A-game this Sunday. Reflecting on the current situation, HMS owner Rick Hendrick, while speaking to Bob Pockrass, said, “I hope we can make it. Crazy things happen, we know. You know we had a good year, and if we can get all four or three in. It’s been a great year, we got William in. Larson’s in a pretty good spot, so we’ll just have to see.”

Elliott sits on the bubble with only 13 points, whereas Bowman’s odds are better with 28 points to his name. Going by how unpredictable the playoff races have been so far, it’s hard to predict if both of them will overcome the Roval challenge.

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