Surprising Chase Elliott stat indicates he's not having as bad a season as some might suggest

Chase Elliott, the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion and defending regular-season champion from last year, currently finds himself under immense pressure in the stock car racing season. With a P21 position on the driver's standings table, the Hendrick Motorsports driver is on the verge of not qualifying for the post-season playoffs.

Elliott has maintained a record of always making the playoffs since his full-time debut in 2016. But initial setbacks this season, such as a suspension for intentional wrecking as well as an injury, have seen him miss several races, robbing him of any momentum.

While the Dawsonville native's average finishing position is still higher than last year at 11.7, up from 12.5 last year, Chase Elliott remains at risk of elimination.

Despite his slim-looking chances, there is one stat in favor of the 27-year-old: he has more top-5 finishes than any other driver currently qualifying for the playoffs.

While Elliott topped the points table last year in 2021, he has not been able to bring the same level of performance this year as he sits 32 points below the cut line. He has also scored stage points in only four out of 14 total starts this year, highlighting the deficit even more.

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Chase Elliott's thoughts on Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson's run-in at Pocono

Teammates with Kyle Larson at Hendrick Motorsports, Chase Elliott gave his point of view after Larson was run into the wall by Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin at Pocono Raceway. Elliott himself has had his fair share of on-track run-ins with Hamlin.

He also reacted to the way drivers race in the Cup Series these days, saying:

"I'm not surprised in general. I think, just regardless of who it is, seems that's just kind of the world we live in now, and it's just however much each individual is willing to put up with is kinda up to them, I guess."

Chase Elliott will head into Michigan International Speedway next weekend in hopes of turning around his regular season, just as NASCAR heads to 2 back-to-back road course races as well. Elliott and road courses are a combination that has seen dominated by the 27-year-old in the past. It remains to be seen if that is still the case in 2023.