The Hendrick Motorsport Chevrolet driver missed out on the playoffs for the first time since joining the Cup Series in 2016 after failing to secure the win he needed to progress.
Bubba Wallace therefore secured the 16th and final spot on points, leaving 2020 champion Elliott unable to end this year higher than 17th.
Elliott holds the fifth-best average finish among full-time drivers this year, but his season was compromised by missing six races due to a leg injury sustained in a snowboarding accident. He then missed a seventh after being suspended for intentionally wrecking Denny Hamlin at Charlotte, which put him into a must-win situation as he was unlikely to make the cut on points.
A fourth-place finish at Daytona was a good day on its own, but not what he needed.
Elliott explained he was unable to "stay locked onto Kevin [Harvick] like I needed to to surge the bottom lane forward" in the closing phases as RFK Racing team-mates Chris Buescher and Brad Keselowski controlled the top lane to secure a 1-2 finish.
Elliott may be out of the driver's playoffs, but his car remains in the fight for the championship on owner's points.
"That's a big deal, probably much bigger than a lot of people realise to our team," he said.
"Looking forward to these next 10. Try to make a little noise on that side of things and just try to get ready and prepared for next year.
Source: Autosport