Chase Elliott falters in quest for playoffs with P13 finish in Quaker State 400

As the 2022 winner of the NASCAR Quaker State 400, many expected Chase Elliott to compete for a win this year as well. He was a non-factor. In fact, he was the only Hendrick car to not run in the top-10 during this race. He was marred back in the high teens for most of the event and ended up coming across the line P13 after rain washed out the race 185 laps in.

With seven races left in the regular season, things are getting dire for Elliott. He didn’t get any stage points in Atlanta. Not only that, drivers on the playoff bubble like AJ Allmendinger, Daniel Suárez, and Michael McDowell all had great days on the track. All were top-5 finishers and scored at least 35 points.

Chase Elliott is now 60 points below the cutline in 23rd place in the NASCAR standings. He has to be perfect for the rest of the regular season to make it on points, and really needs a win to boost his bid for the postseason. He had a lot of optimism heading into the Quaker State 400.

Jeff Gordon, vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, spoke after William Byron’s win briefly about Elliott and Alex Bowman’s playoff chances.

“I know that we want to get wins,” Gordon said in the post-race press conference. “It’s sort of one of those situations where if you don’t feel like you’re capable of winning, how far are you really going to go in the playoffs?”

So, that pretty much sounds like what Chase Elliott has been saying. They want to make the playoffs at any cost. However, if they aren’t winning soon, what makes them think they can compete in the playoffs and win?

Chase Elliott has opportunities left in 2023

The good news for Chase Elliott and Elliott fans, this is a stretch that the driver was fairly solid in last year. In fact, it was one of his best stretches of the year in 2022. Elliott was runner-up at New Hampshire, won Pocono (after Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch DQs), and posted top-5 finishes at Richmond and Watkins Glen.

Before Atlanta, Elliott posted three straight top-5 finishes. That has to also count for something. The issue is he is in such a tight spot with points, that a win is the only way to see him making the playoffs. And if he makes the postseason, it makes Alex Bowman’s chances at making it even worse.

Hendrick Motorsports started the season with four drivers they felt could all make the playoffs. Kyle Larson and William Byron are locked in with multiple wins. But the previously injured Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman have struggled to find their footing.

Elliott is in a tough spot, but he is a former champion. He won five races last season. Let’s see if he can snag one in these last seven and make his way into the playoffs with some momentum.