BROOKLYN, Mich. — Whatever slim chances Chase Elliott had to qualify into the NASCAR Cup Series playoff on points completely evaporated Sunday on Lap 36 at Michigan International Speedway when his right rear tire came apart and sent him backwards into the Turn 2 wall.
The contact compressed the rear clip of the Hendrick Motorsports No. 9 and eliminated him from the Firekeepers Casino 400. It also means he is going to have to win his way into the playoffs over the next three weeks at either Indianapolis Road Course, Watkins Glen, or Daytona International Speedway.
Was he surprised that it happened so suddenly?
“Yeah, yeah, well, yeah,” Elliott told a group of reporters.
How does he feel about needing to win one of the next three races to make it into the Cup Series playoffs?
“It’s our only option,” Elliott said.
Was it a tire puncture or …
“Don’t know.”
Tire manufacturer Goodyear tells Sportsnaut that it was not a tire puncture, meaning that the failure was most likely the result of a set-up decision made by crew chief Alan Gustafson, either air pressure or camber.
It’s not impossible to see a scenario where Gustafson would take a really aggressive approach given that they entered the weekend 40 points out of a playoff spot. He was running in ninth place at the time of the crash.
He offered a little bit more in his television interview.
“I hate it happened,” Elliott said. “Really early in the day to have a tire blow like that. It was really weird. Bummer. But not surprised.”
Elliott missed six races in the spring after suffering a fractured tibia on March 3 while snowboarding in Colorado. He also missed a race in the summer due to a suspension for intentionally crashing Denny Hamlin in the Coca-Cola 600. The larger issue for the 2020 champion is that the team just hasn’t looked capable of winning this summer with Elliott running well below their usual standards.
He has won a race in every season since 2018 but now just has three more chances to do so before it prevents him from running for a championship for the first time in his full-time career.
Matt Weaver is a Motorsports Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.