My “dumb” solution would have been to create an arc, then mark off the degrees based on how many slots you wanted. After creating the slot positions, group everything, then use the scale tool, pick the middle handle and push inward to match the depth of the ellipse you want (if I described it right, it should work).
So many ways to solve the problem. I am using Dave’s arc suggestion very successfully as it allows the creation of the ellipse and simplifies the solution to the number of slots needed. Thanks for the suggestion. I will try that and see what I get