Why it's time to panic about Chase Elliott's NASCAR championship chances

Going into the penultimate round of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, it felt like Chase Elliott would need a victory to advance to the Championship Four.

Following a crash and subsequent 33rd-place finish in Sunday's South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, that feeling now feels like a certainty.

Elliott was caught up in a multi-car crash on lap 89 — one that also claimed Tyler Reddick, Brad Keselowski, Austin Cindric and Ryan Blaney— and while he was able to complete more laps after the crash, his wounded Camaro was unable to maintain the pace.

A 33rd-place finish would've been damaging for any playoff driver, regardless of their points standing. But it's especially damaging for Elliott and the No. 9 team.

Elliott has had a nice season, especially after the disappointment of 2023. His win at Texas in April broke a long winless streak and, for most of the season, his consistency was unmatched by any other driver in the field.

However, Elliott has only four top-10s and two top-fives in the seven playoff races so far — numbers that don't inspire confidence that the No. 9 team is operating at a championship-caliber level.

The lack of of race-winning speed from Elliott is especially surprising considering it was the No. 9 team that won the 2020 championship, made three consecutive Championship Four appearances and won five races in 2022 — more than any other team in the first year of the Next-Gen era.

Elliott's subdued nature and driving style may work when the No. 9 team is firing on all cylinders, but the moment may call for an adjusted approach. Elliott hasn't come all that close to victory lane since Texas in April and a win at Homestead-Miami on Oct. 27 or Martinsville on Nov. 3 feels unlikely at the moment.

That's not to say Elliott can't drag his team to a Championship Four appearance, but neither driver nor team seems to be in the same category they were as little as two seasons ago.

It's time for the No. 9 team to press the panic button and go all in on finding a way to score a victory over the next two races.