Alex Bowman has been eliminated from the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs after a shock disqualification on Sunday evening.
The driver of the #48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet looked to have booked his place in the round of eight with his performance at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, but a post-race inspection has ruined his postseason hopes.
His car was determined by officials to be under the legal weight, disqualifying him and turning his 18th placed finish – which had him into the next round by nine points – into 38th and elimination.
The decision means that Joey Logano is saved from the cut, pending a potential appeal by the Hendrick Motorsports team, who announced that they will make a decision on any appeal on Monday.
We are working to understand the issue and will make a decision Monday about whether to submit an appeal. https://t.co/q9V3KQzgFR
Brad Moran, managing director of the NASCAR Cup Series, said: “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. They are allowed a 0.5% weight break, which is for usage of fluids and so on. That’s about 17 pounds.
“We backed the car back off the scales, ran it back on and then, unfortunately, it was the same weight. So the car had a weight issue. All the other cars cleared inspection. The 48 didn’t, and that ends up in a disqualification.”
He added: “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.”