Hendrick Motorsports’ driver Alex Bowman came into the 2024 NASCAR season with high hopes of redeeming himself after a challenging 2023 marked by a back injury. Despite an inconsistent start to the season, Bowman made a strong comeback, highlighted by a win at the Chicago Street Race, positioning himself as a serious contender for the Championship 4. However, his championship hopes were abruptly dashed at the Roval playoff race, where he was disqualified after his car was found to be underweight.
The disqualification was a massive blow not only to Bowman and his team but also to his primary sponsor, Ally Financial, whose Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) expressed deep disappointment. In a heartfelt statement, Ally’s CMO shared how the result left him struggling to sleep and still feeling heartbroken the following morning:
“Woke up this morning – after hardly sleeping – not feeling any better… Gutted for @Alex_Bowman and the @allyracing team who have fought for every point this year and deserve to be moving forward.”
The NASCAR community largely echoed this sentiment, with many agreeing that Bowman and his crew didn’t deserve to be knocked out of the playoffs in such a manner.
The disqualification came after NASCAR discovered the No. 48 car was underweight. While Cup Series Managing Director Brad Moran confirmed that NASCAR gave the team every opportunity to avoid the penalty by allowing them to refuel the car and purge the water system, it was not enough to meet the minimum weight requirement.
“Unfortunately, the 48 had an issue (and) did not meet minimum weight. We put the car to the side. We… gave them the opportunity to fuel the car as well as purge the water system and add water,” Moran explained.
Despite the heartbreaking decision, Hendrick Motorsports has opted not to appeal, acknowledging that the ruling was clear-cut. Without a strong argument to overturn the decision, the team must now focus on how Bowman will perform in the final four races of the season.
This disqualification has left fans and the team wondering what could have been for Bowman, whose strong second half of the season had him poised for a deep playoff run. Now, all eyes will be on how he finishes the year, with the hopes that he can bounce back from this setback.
