Joey Logano is moving on in the playoffs, after all. The same cannot be said for Alex Bowman.
Shortly after the checkered flag dropped on the Bank of America ROVAL 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course in Concord, N.C., Bowman’s No. 48 Chevrolet failed post-race inspection, disqualifying Bowman and dropping him from his 18th-place finish to last in 38th.
The loss in points dropped Bowman from nine points to the good of the cutoff between eighth and ninth place in the standings to well below the line. It also elevated Logano from ninth to eighth, making him the last man in the Round of 8.
“Unfortunately, the 48 had an issue (and) did not meet minimum weight,” Brad Moran, managing director of the NASCAR Cup Series, said after inspection. “We put the car to the side. We continued on. We … gave them the opportunity to fuel the car as well as purge the water system and add water. So we gave them every opportunity to make minimum weight. We ran them back through. Unfortunately, they were light again.”
“All the other cars cleared inspection,” Moran continued. “The 48 didn’t, and that ends up in a disqualification.”
Hendrick Motorsports, owner of the 48 team, can appeal the decision.
“If the appeal happens, it’ll be expedited, so it’ll probably happen in the next couple of days,” Moran said. “So really can’t get into all the details of the information, but the car was light, and that’s where we ended up.”
Joining Bowman as drivers eliminated on Sunday are Austin Cindric, Daniel Suarez and Chase Briscoe.
The Round of 8 begins next Sunday in Las Vegas, followed by Homestead-Miami and Martinsville (Va.). The final four drivers will then race for the championship in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Ariz., on Nov. 10.
–Field Level Media