Alex Bowman had done enough to make the NASCAR playoffs Round of 8 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway but found himself agonisingly missing the cut after breaking the rules.
What is worse for him, is that the rule-breaking wasn’t even of his own doing, with his car deemed to be overweight after scrutineering.
The result was a disqualification that dropped him 20 places to the back of the grid and left him with one point instead of 29 for his efforts.
Joey Logano is the fortunate one to take his place for the remainder of the NASCAR playoffs, which could have seen all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers in the Round of 8.
Alex Bowman’s Henrick Motorsports infraction was ‘avoidable’
After the race, the team was allowed to refill the car with fuel and check that it had not lost any water, but was still deemed to be underweight.
Electing not to appeal the decision, they officially forfeit Bowman’s place in the playoffs which will be agonising for the man whose previous best finish was sixth in the championship.
Speaking in a statement, the team revealed their reasoning behind not chasing the matter any further and why it was allowed to happen.
“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.”
Hendrick must turn their attention to winning the championship
Kyle Larson is enjoying a dominant season at the front of the pack, having taken twice the amount of wins than any other driver, as well as the most pole positions.
He currently offers them the best chance of silverware, but there’s no guarantee of that happening considering how easily he lost his lead just a few weeks ago.
His Kansas Speedway puncture saw him relegated three spots in the drivers’ standings, highlighting just how volatile the picture can be.
READ MORE: Kyle Larson shares what happened for the ‘first time’ in Charlotte this weekend after Roval win
William Byron and Chase Elliott are dark horse candidates to win it all but are aware that they must nail the next few races to put themselves in the best position possible.
All eyes will be on Larson, the only man with something big to lose over the next few races – the 20-point lead he enjoys, is the same gap between second and eighth (all remaining drivers).