INDIANAPOLIS — Chase Elliott came up just shy of a victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Sunday's Verizon 200 at the Brickyard.
The 2020 Cup Series champion chased down Michael McDowell in the closing laps, but was unable to seal the deal in the end.
Now, Elliott finds himself in 19th place, which is 80 points behind the playoff cut-line.
"I just needed to be able to get off (turn) 14 better so I could put myself in a better spot into turn one," Elliott said to NBC Sports after the race. "I lost too much ground during the last pit stop."
Elliott missed six races early in the season due to injuries suffered in a snowboarding accident. He was then suspended for the round at Gateway for driving misconduct.
He's been behind the eight-ball all season and is running out of time to keep his post-season hopes alive.
It's not all doom and gloom for NASCAR's most popular driver. An impressive run in Indianapolis sets him up well for the next race at Watkins Glen.
Elliott's race prowess usually shows itself on road courses. A runner-up finish in Indianapolis should provide Elliott with sizable momentum heading into the next race at Watkins Glen.
He just needs to make sure he's able to execute because he has only two more chances to win before the start of the playoffs.
