When Alex Bowman left the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL, he was firmly advancing to the NASCAR Cup Series’ Round of 8.
By the time he got home, showered and made dinner, he was disqualified from the race and thrown from the Round of 8.
Post-race inspection found Bowman’s No. 48 to be too light, resulting in the driver’s disqualification from the ROVAL. He lost all the points he earned throughout the day, which was enough to eliminate him from the Round of 8.
The disqualification of Bowman was surprising in the moment, and still is. Never has there been a situation in the playoff era where a driver who advanced to the next round was then eliminated following a DQ.
While largely expected to appeal the penalty, Hendrick Motorsports announced it would not appeal and instead accepted the penalty of being thrown from the Round of 8, stating in part, “we simply did not give ourselves enough margin to meet the post-race requirement.” The team also stated the infraction was unintentional but avoidable.
It seems a little odd to just accept blame without even going through an appeals process. As important as the Round of 8 is, especially for a team that saw all four of its drivers advance before Bowman’s DQ, one would think Hendrick would have fought for Bowman, even if it lost the appeal.
Had Hendrick decided to appeal, the worst that could happen is that … well, nothing happens. It would also get an expedited process, given the importance of the penalty’s impact.
In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, JR Motorsports appealed a penalty that resulted in the disqualification of Sam Mayer following the previous race at Talladega Superspeedway. Mayer and JRM ultimately lost the appeal, but the appeal was heard before the Charlotte ROVAL so there was no discrepancy heading into the final race of the round.
Not to mention, Bowman has been at the center of Silly Season talks for what seems like years now. Hendrick has no plans to be rid of him, but not even trying to stand up for him, even if the team knows it will lose, is not the greatest way of having his back.
One has to wonder, if it was Kyle Larson or William Byron, one of Bowman’s more successful teammates, if Hendrick still decides against appealing. As they are seen as Championship 4 favorites, it would be more than likely that Hendrick would appeal to try to keep them in the title fight.
Part of the reason Hendrick could’ve appealed was that it looked like…
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