Alex Bowman's hopes for advancing in the NASCAR Playoffs were dashed following the disqualification of his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet at the Charlotte Roval earlier this month. The vehicle failed to meet the minimum weight requirement during a post-race inspection, leading to the elimination of Bowman from the playoffs.
This disqualification paved the way for Joey Logano, a two-time Cup Series champion, to move forward into the Round of 8. Now, Brad Keselowski has commented on the situation after a similar thing happened to him.
The Charlotte Roval, known for its challenging combination of oval and infield road course, hosted the race where Bowman's disqualification took place. Cars must weigh a minimum of 3,400 pounds with driver and fuel, with a range up to 3,500 pounds depending on the driver's weight. There is a post-race tolerance of 0.5 percent (about 17 pounds) to account for natural weight loss during the race.
Despite efforts to adjust Bowman's car, which included adding fuel, the vehicle did not meet the required weight standards, resulting in his unfortunate playoff exit.
Hendrick Motorsports, one of the most successful and storied teams in NASCAR history, with drivers like Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson among their ranks, opted not to appeal the decision. Acknowledging the failure to uphold the necessary weight margin settled the disqualification. This was a huge disappointment for the team which had anticipated full representation in the playoffs' next round with all its drivers pushing through.
Keselowski was sympathetic to Bowman as he reflected on a similar incident of his own in 2022 at Martinsville Speedway with Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports.
"I have empathy for sure for the 48 team. I hate to see a team get knocked out of playoffs that way," Keselowski said.
"And 2022 we had the same penalty at Martinsville and we tracked it all down to... we had ran a 400 lap race at Martinsville and we had worn such and such weight off the car and accumulated X amount of rubber and we were plenty good.
"And in the fall race we wore more brake pad and brake rotor off the car. And at the end of the race we got hit in the back and the rubber that naturally adds weight to the car didn't accumulate. And the combination of the two put us below the weight threshold and it certainly didn't feel egregious to me.
"And I probably carry that same line of thinking, without knowing all the details and the 48s kind of endeavor there, but, uh, you know, I certainly have empathy."
The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs continue with the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a crucial campaign as drivers compete for a spot in the Championship 4.
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