“Winning is the only option”: Chase Elliott sees only one way of reaching the NASCAR playoffs after Michigan mishap

Prior to the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway, Chase Elliott still had the opportunity to point his way into the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. After Sunday's outing, it's evident that the #9 Hendrick Motorsports driver finds himself in a much dire situation.

Starting in the top 10 for the race at Brooklyn, Elliott was the second driver to wreck out of the race as his car slid toward the barriers due to a tire failure. The moment of realization was brutal for Elliott and his camp as both the #9 car and his playoff chances took a hard hit.

After making a trip to the infield care center, a dispirited Chase Elliott emerged who was swarmed by the media. When asked about his prospects of winning one of the next few races to qualify for the playoffs, the #9 Chevy driver replied it was the only option left for him.

"It's the only option," he said.

Before heading to Michigan, Chase Elliott was 40 points down on the cut-off mark, and will now sit out of the rest of the race on Monday. With his competitors expected to gain some ground, his chances of pointing his way into the playoffs have plummeted.

This leaves the HMS driver with winning a race in the next three weeks as the only option to book his playoff position. NASCAR heads to the Indy road course, followed by a trip to Watkins Glen and its final stop at Daytona to end the regular season.

Elliott's best chance to win a race is at Watkins Glen where he took his first Cup Series victory. He has two wins on the track and has never finished outside the top 13. The 2.45-mile road course is expected to be his saving grace preventing him from failing to make it to the playoffs for the first time in his career.

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Chase Elliott irked by reporters at Michigan International Speedway

As the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion finds himself in a clutch situation to win a race many wondered if he had circled Watkins Glen and Indy road race to save his season.

When Chase Elliott was asked if he had special emphasis for upcoming road races, he was rather irked by the recurring question in the pre-race press conference.

“I have said this, I don’t circle races. That is not how I operate. I just take it week to week and try to get better. Like I have told you guys a thousand times, and I will make it a thousand and one…,” he said out of frustration.

“That is where I want to get. I will keep working really hard until we can achieve that,” he added.

As Elliott strives to be better every weekend, he will be in the playoff equation until the last race at Daytona.