It’s the final run, as NASCAR steers its ship for the Round of 8. Hendrick Motorsports and Team Penske have already punched their seats for the next round, with only six spots remaining. After a tantalizing run on the track of Talladega, one of the wildcard races of the playoffs, NASCAR is set to rev up its engines on the 2.3-mile-long road course of Charlotte Roval. 

However, the race won’t be a cakewalk for a majority of the drivers, especially for the drivers below the cutline. On a track marker with 17 turns, the drivers would not only have to wield impeccable precision but also navigate the tight quarters of the track. Owing to these idiosyncratic features, the burden seems to fall on the drivers in the elimination zone, and the RFK Racing co-owner Brad Keselowski, as a NASCAR insider delivers a harsh truth for the former Cup Series champion.

NASCAR Insider delivers a heartbreak for Brad Keselowski

The road course races of NASCAR seemed to have attracted huge popularity from fans in recent years, especially after the introduction of the Next-Gen cars. However, the 2023 Cup Series season was nothing less than drudgery for the drivers, on the tracks of Indianapolis and Watkins Glen, as NASCAR eliminated stage breaks from the road course races. 

Failing to deliver the high-octane experience that was expected from the new system, NASCAR retracted from its ruling and reintroduced stage breaks for the road course race in Charlotte. As a result, the playoff race in Roval is set to be a decisive factor in setting the stage for the Round of 8, and four drivers will be bowing out of the contention.

Being termed as the ‘Jesus’ of road courses by his teammate Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick who is two points below the cutline, can still make it to the Round of 8 if he delivers a performance void of any on-track mistakes. Reddick’s favorable run could be a heartbreak for the 2012 Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski, as he has just a mere two points cushion above the cutline. 

Owing to this, and taking the driver’s past performance on the road course into consideration, Nate Ryan in his conversation with Dale Jarett and Kim Coon, stated his stance on Keselowski’s playoff run. Ryan expressed, “I think Reddick is the only one that I really have under the cutline who could advance and I agree with DJ, I think he will advance. I think he probably knocks out Brad Keselowski.”

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Michael Jordan’s other driver keeps his hopes up after a learning curve

While Michael Jordan’s 27-year-old star may still have light at the end of the tunnel, his other driver, Bubba Wallace, who is also below the cutline, has a daunting task of making himself afloat over the elimination line, especially after his past encounters on road courses.

However, Wallace has kept his chin and hopes up for the final race of the Round of 12. In an interview, Wallace spilled the beans on his strategy for racing in the Roval. As per cbssports.com, he asserted, “That things that I learned at The Glen, like approach-wise on corners and kind of technique stuff, you can carry that over. And so I worked on a little bit of that this week in the sim and picked up some speed and found a decent rhythm.”

“It’s all virtual right now until you get there in real life … But looking forward to it. I know we’ve run well there the last couple times we’ve been on the Roval. So it’s all just a matter of surviving and not trying too hard and not getting caught up in somebody else’s mess.”

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With the Roval race just around the corner, the pressure seemed to intensify on Michael Jordan’s team. With just one race left to decide the 8 drivers that will move on, it will be interesting to see if 23XI Racing drivers enter the Round of 8 for the first time in their careers.