NASCAR driver disqualified from Charlotte race - Loses playoff spot

Lydia Mee

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NASCAR driver disqualified from Charlotte race - Loses playoff spot image

NASCAR has announced the disqualification of Alex Bowman following a failure to meet technical requirements after the Bank of America ROVAL 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. This surprising move has changed the NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings, eliminating Bowman from the Round of 8 and advancing Joey Logano.

The issue arose when Bowman's No. 48 Chevrolet was found underweight during a meticulous post-race inspection. Such inspections are routine after races to ensure all competing vehicles adhere to NASCAR's strict technical standards, including weight and safety regulations, which aim to maintain a level playing field and driver safety. Brad Moran, NASCAR Cup Series Managing Director, explained the situation clearly, saying:

"Unfortunately, the 48 had an issue (and) did not meet minimum weight.

"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."

Despite NASCAR allowing Bowman's team to make adjustments by refueling and purging the car's water system, these efforts failed to bring the vehicle within the acceptable weight limits.

Moran also commented on the possibility of an appeal from Hendrick Motorsports, stating:

"If the appeal happens, it'll be expedited, so it'll probably happen in the next couple of days. So really can't get into all the details of the information, but the car was light, and that's where we ended up."

Hendrick Motorsports now faces a significant decision about whether to appeal this ruling.

NASCAR Cup Series: Current Standings

  1. Kyle Larson - 4052 points
  2. Christopher Bell - 4032 points
  3. Tyler Reddick - 4029 points
  4. William Byron - 4023 points
  5. Ryan Blaney - 4019 points
  6. Denny Hamlin - 4015 points
  7. Chase Elliott - 4014 points
  8. Joey Logano - 4012 points
  9. Alex Bowman - 2195 points
  10. Austin Cindric - 2174 points
  11. Ty Gibbs - 2150 points
  12. Martin Truex Jr - 2146 points
  13. Daniel Suárez - 2127 points
  14. Brad Keselowski - 2120 points
  15. Chase Briscoe - 2110 points
  16. Harrison Burton - 2065 points
  17. Chris Buescher - 830 points
  18. Bubba Wallace - 824 points
  19. Ross Chastain - 821 points
  20. Kyle Busch - 711 points
  21. Carson Hocevar - 604 points
  22. Todd Gilliland - 579 points
  23. Michael McDowell - 574 points
  24. Ricky Stenhouse Jr - 543 points
  25. Noah Gragson - 522 points
  26. Ryan Preece - 507 points
  27. Josh Berry - 506 points
  28. Austin Dillon - 483 points
  29. Zane Smith - 460 points
  30. Justin Haley - 459 points
  31. Corey LaJoie - 457 points
  32. Erik Jones - 456 points
  33. Daniel Hemric - 455 points
  34. John H. Nemechek - 395 points
  35. Kaz Grala - 188 points
  36. Cody Ware - 130 points
  37. Joey Hand - 43 points
  38. Jimmie Johnson - 40 points
  39. Derek Kraus - 32 points
  40. David Ragan - 17 points
  41. Kamui Kobayashi - 8 points
  42. Will Brown - 6 points
  43. Juan Pablo Montoya - 5 points
  44. Cam Waters - 2 points

Lydia Mee

Lydia Mee Photo

Lydia Mee is a passionate motorsport journalist based in the UK. She has a background in covering Formula 1, NASCAR, electric vehicles, and other various motorsports and has interviewed current and former drivers such as Mario Andretti, Alain Prost, and Johnny Herbert amongst others. She's a strong advocate for women in motorsport and a more diverse industry. Her work has been seen on Sports Illustrated, On SI and Newsweek. She can be followed at @lydiameemotorsport on Instagram and @LMeeMotorsport on X.