Alex Bowman was disqualified from the Bank of America ROVAL 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway after his No. 48 Chevrolet failed a post-race inspection. As a result, he lost his spot in the Cup Series Round of 8 and moved Joey Logano up into the next stage of the playoffs.
The critical issue arose during the inspection, where Bowman's car fell short of meeting NASCAR's minimum weight requirements, disqualifying him from his initial 18th-place finish. Consequently, NASCAR elevated Joey Logano to eighth place in the standings, thereby punching his ticket to the Round of 8. Brad Moran, the managing director of the NASCAR Cup Series, explained the situation, noting:
"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."
The thorough inspection process confirmed compliance for all other vehicles except Bowman's, as Moran succinctly put:
"All the other cars cleared inspection. The 48 didn't, and that ends up in a disqualification."
Bowman's team, Hendrick Motorsports, has the option to appeal this decision, a process that Moran said could be expedited:
"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."
The playoffs consist of four rounds involving 16 drivers initially, with each subsequent round systematically weeding out contenders until only four drivers remain to compete in the Championship race at Phoenix Raceway.
The Round of 8 is set to begin next Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, followed by races in Homestead-Miami and Martinsville, Virginia. These races will determine which drivers will earn the chance to compete in the championship race in Phoenix on November 10.
The drivers into the Cup Series Playoffs Round of 8 are currently: Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick, William Byron, Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, and Joey Logano.