Hendrick Motorsports has confirmed that it will not appeal the disqualification of Alex Bowman following the Charlotte Roval race after his No. 48 Chevrolet failed post-race inspection for being underweight. The car’s disqualification had significant playoff implications, as Bowman was eliminated from championship contention as a result.
Bowman’s car was found to be too light during the post-race weight inspection, though neither NASCAR nor Hendrick Motorsports has provided a detailed explanation for why the car failed to meet the legal weight limit.
Hendrick Motorsports had until 5 p.m. ET on Monday to file an appeal, but the organization ultimately chose not to do so. In a statement, the team expressed its disappointment and acknowledged that the weight issue was an avoidable infraction:
“Hendrick Motorsports will not appeal the disqualification of the No. 48 car following Sunday’s race at the Charlotte ROVAL. NASCAR allows a clear margin to account for the difference in pre- and post-race weight. After a thorough review by our team and the sanctioning body, we simply did not give ourselves enough margin to meet the post-race requirement. Although unintentional, the infraction was avoidable. We are extremely disappointed to lose a playoff spot under these circumstances and apologize to our fans and partners.”
Before the disqualification, Bowman had accumulated the most stage points among the playoff drivers and seemed poised to advance to the next round. However, after being moved to the last place in the finishing order with just one point earned, his postseason hopes were dashed. This result allowed Joey Logano, who initially missed the postseason cut-off, to advance to the Round of 8.
Hendrick Motorsports clarified that the infraction was not intentional but stemmed from failing to account for enough margin to meet post-race weight requirements. Bowman is now the only Hendrick Motorsports driver out of championship contention.
In NASCAR, the first- and second-place finishers undergo a thorough inspection post-race, and during the postseason, all playoff drivers also go through height and weight checks.
