Alex Bowman’s shock disqualification from the Roval 400 saw him eliminated from the NASCAR playoffs in one of the most disappointing ways.
His underweight #48 car was relegated to last position in the race classification, stripping him of 28 crucial points.
It would have been enough to see him through to the Round of 8, but his spot has now been taken by Team Penske’s Joey Logano.
These sorts of punishments are rare in NASCAR, but the most shocking thing about the situation is that it was an easy error to avoid.
Kevin Harvick shares ‘tungsten radio’ trick to avoid penalty
According to former Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick, who was shocked at Bowman’s penalty, things have changed in NASCAR over the years.
Teams used to deceive the stewards during the post-race inspections by swapping out components of cars for heavier materials – bringing them over the minimum weight limit.
Speaking on the Happy Hour Podcast, Harvick reminisced about how he knew that crew members would be cheeky in order to avoid taking a penalty.
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“I was really surprised because we don’t hear of weight penalties virtually ever. I think back to some of the conversations and some of the things that used to happen with the car.
“When you would have the crew guys taking the radio in and out and they’d take the actual radio out as it was going to inspection and they put a tungsten radio back in to try to be able to get away with some of that weight.”
Hendrick Motorsports denied historic feat after penalty
Hendrick Motorsports denied themselves the chance to have all four cars in the Round of 8 after Bowman’s penalty.
Kyle Larson, William Byron, and Chase Elliott all made the cut, even if the latter of them only made it by two points before his teammate’s disqualification.
They will now focus their efforts on their remaining three entries, with Larson in the best position of all of their drivers.
READ MORE: Joey Logano shares ‘proud’ Roval 400 moment after advancing to NASCAR’s Round of 8
He has a 20-point margin to second place, which is the same gap between the other seven drivers left in the playoffs.
It just goes to show how impressive the American, who has claimed six victories in 2024 (three more than any other driver) has been.