Alex Bowman was denied the opportunity to advance further in the NASCAR playoffs due to a gutting error.
The American was disqualified after his #48 car was found to be underweight after the race, promoting Joey Logano inside the top eight.
The development prevents all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers from occupying spots in the Round of 8, which commences this weekend in Las Vegas.
Austin Cindric, Daniel Suarez, and Chase Briscoe were all eliminated from the running in Charlotte, ending their chances of contention for the season.
Hendrick Motorsports could appeal Alex Bowman’s disqualification
But there may be some slender hope for Bowman over the coming days, as his team does have a chance to appeal the penalty.
Any subsequent investigation would have to be very quick, such is the speed at which the NASCAR calendar moves.
Speaking to NASCAR.com, Cup Series managing director Brad Moran detailed just how things may not be over yet.
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“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. 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.”
Is Bowman doomed after Roval disqualification?
Heading into the Bank of America Roval 400, Bowman held a nine-point advantage over fellow hopeful Logano.
That was decimated after he was bumped to 38th for the race, receiving a single point for his efforts, 20 places lower than he actually finished.
He had originally made the Round of 8 comfortably, but that is no longer the case and he will have to focus on rounding off the season in the best way possible now.
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It’s unlikely after taking multiple measurements, that such a decision will be reversed, and it will be a harsh lesson to the team.
They won’t want to repeat this mistake in the future, especially as it may have just cost their driver a shot at his best-ever finish in the series.