SPEEDWAY, Ind. — Jimmie Johnson emerged from a required check-up in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s infield care center fine physically, but obviously disappointed.

Johnson’s amazing run of NASCAR Playoffs contention ended with an accident on Lap 105 of Sunday’s 160-lap Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard — the regular-season finale and his last shot at championship eligibility.

It was clearly not the meeting with the press Johnson had hoped to be having.

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“Yeah, it’s really disappointing,” Johnson said. “Unfortunately, we had a bad 25 races that led to the position we’re in here today and we needed a stellar day.

“I think we were having a strong day. I’m really proud of my team with what’s been going on. The No. 1 car (Kurt Busch) had a little trouble on the restart. I’m in on the inside going into the corner and it was just super tight. It’s unfortunate that happened. Certainly, it’s not what we needed on that restart. I couldn’t go below the white line and kind of got snipped there and turned around; and around and round we go.’’

Johnson’s 35th-place finish was his worst showing since a 39th-place result in 2007 at the historic Indianapolis track, where his four race-winning trophies remain most among the current field of competitors.

The result landed him 18th in the standings after the race — last among a foursome that came to Indy to settle the two final positions in the 16-driver playoff field. Clint Bowyer’s fifth-place effort and Ryan Newman’s eighth-place work were good enough to propel the veterans into the crucial 15th and 16th positions in the playoff lineup. Third-year Cup driver Daniel Suarez finished 11th and missed the playoffs by a mere four points to Newman.

This is the first time since NASCAR introduced the playoff system in 2004 that Johnson failed to make the postseason.

Even in the frustration and disappointment, however, the seven-time Cup champion and 83-race winner offered a hefty dose of perspective.

“I’m not stoked by the situation at all, but I am impressed that we’ve been in 16 consecutive playoffs in a row and I’m not sure anyone else has done that. Our record doesn’t stink. I wish we could have kept it going, but life goes on.’’

Even in his disappointment, Johnson was able to look forward and upward.

“Well, first of all, I think it’s pretty impressive the run we’ve been on to be in the playoffs for this many consecutive years,’’ Johnson said. “I’m not sure who is close, but I don’t think they’re very close. So, we have that to be proud of.

“Sure, we wanted to continue on, but the goal is to win a race. This team is getting stronger each and every week and (crew chief) Cliff Daniels is doing an amazing job of leading this group and we’re ready to roll. We’ll dust ourselves off and go to Vegas and try to get a trophy.’’

“There’s still 10 races to go win and we can still climb higher in points,’’ Johnson added. “More importantly, this team has so much momentum and brotherhood right now and we need to cultivate that and get us set up for 2020.”

As Johnson was driving his badly damaged No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet off the track and into the garage, his crew chief Daniels — who is only four races into that position — reminded the team, “Our team is too strong,’’ Daniels reminded. “Keep your head up.’’

Johnson said he hadn’t had a chance to speak with Daniels yet, but was clearly upbeat about the team’s future. After speaking with reporters, he climbed onto a waiting golf cart and rode off to applause and cheers from fans who had gathered nearby.

As Johnson had assured reporters only moments earlier, “The fire’s there. This team inspires and motivates me. These guys really want to perform and it’s a great thing.”

SPEEDWAY, Ind. — There’s no doubt what’s at top of mind at Hendrick Motorsports entering Sunday’s Big Machine Vodka 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2 p.m. ET on NBC, IMS and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Getting seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson into the playoffs is the No. 1 priority for the organization, which already has three of its four drivers — Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman and William Byron — qualified for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series postseason.

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“Me personally, I want to see him get in,” said Elliott, who won at Talladega and Watkins Glen this season. “I’m a race fan first, and I want to see him do well. I’m certainly pulling for him to do that, but there is a lot of emphasis to make sure he has a fast car.

“That’s the best way to fix it — to be fast. If they are fast today, that is the main thing. Your job gets a lot easier for the weekend.”

Mission accomplished, as far as the first order of business was concerned. Johnson was fast off the truck for opening practice at the 2.5-mile speedway. He was on top of the speed chart until late in the session, when other drivers began making mock qualifying runs.

After the dust settled, Johnson was ninth fastest, with a best time of 49.261 seconds (182.700 mph).

Though the speed was encouraging, Johnson faces an uphill battle if he hopes to preserve his perfect record of qualifying for every Cup postseason. Johnson is 18 points behind Ryan Newman and Daniel Suarez, who currently are tied for 16th in the standings, the final playoff-eligible position.

Johnson said his No. 48 team has been doing a more thorough job of preparation, but it hasn’t been confined to the week before the trip to the Brickyard, where Johnson has won four times, one fewer than the record five of former teammate Jeff Gordon.

“There has been more preparation, but it really hasn’t been because of the week,” Johnson said. “It’s been since Cliff (Daniels) took over as crew chief (in late July). There are more hours and more time. … We had a Saturday night race recently, and (team members) were asked not to come to the shop, and it’s not just Cliff alone, but the energy and the brotherhood inside of the No. 48 team and how bad the guys want to perform. They are there when they don’t need to be. They’re there when they’re asked not to be.

“So, it’s pretty amazing to see the time and effort. And all of that has added up over the last couple of weeks, where our guys have been able to spend more time on the car that we brought here. So it’s hard to just look at any given week and say, ‘Hey, we’re going to do more,’ because you don’t have the time. The truck’s got to load and leave and all that stuff. But, weeks back, things started clicking, which have allowed really every car that’s gone to the track in the last three or four weeks to have more detail and more time spent on it.”

With the speed in his car, Johnson at least has a hope of making the playoffs on points, but the definitive path would be a fifth victory at the Brickyard. Eighty-four races have passed since Johnson last went to Victory Lane at Dover in 2017.

“Yeah, it would be a heck of a story to tie Jeff with five here and to come through a drought and all the things that we all know,” Johnson said. “You guys (media) had to write about it and talk about it. To have all that come to a conclusion and lock myself into the playoffs would be one hell of a story. Hopefully, that is the story.”