It’s important to make one thing clear about this before we get started. This isn’t a call to say that NASCAR screwed Alex Bowman. These things happen. Not often, but rules have to be enforced. The #48 car missing minimum weight, as unfortunate as it is for Hendrick Motorsports and Bowman, wasn’t an inside job. The team didn’t get screwed. In the statement made by Hendrick Motorsports earlier today, they explained that they didn’t give themselves enough room for a weight reduction to be allowed. I don’t want this to be interpreted as a conspiracy article. There are plenty of fans on Twitter and Facebook to do that nonsense for me. It’s unfortunate what happened to Bowman and the #48 team, but this wasn’t a screw job.
Alex Bowman’s Playoffs
Embed from Getty ImagesThis article is meant to highlight just what an incredible run Alex Bowman was having. After entering the playoffs with unfortunate and maybe even misguided “rumors” about his job security at Hendrick Motorsports, he turned up the heat. The #48 car in the playoffs scored stage points in all but two stages in the round of 16 and the round of 8 combined. Bowman collected three top 10s, a spot on the pole at Bristol, and two stage wins. He posted a 10.3 average finish in the round of 16, and a 13.3 in the round of 12. Bowman also averaged 36.33 points per race. Before the penalty, he had scored the most points of any playoff driver. It was nothing short of an impressive and motivated run.
Alex Bowman consistently answered the bell once the playoffs began. There was no Mickey Mouse, “yeah, but” in his playoff run. His team was top-notch, and as a driver, he more than proved he was right where he belongs. Competing for a championship among the best that NASCAR has to offer. Keeping up with his Hendrick Motorsports teammates and finding his way to the front.
Moving Forward
Embed from Getty ImagesAlex Bowman deserved a chance to fight in the round of 8. He’d have had a real shot at winning at Las Vegas this weekend and in three weeks at Martinsville. Both are tracks he’s won at previously and has collected great finishes. There’s no question that Bowman earned the right to compete for a spot in the Championship 4. If not only for a foolish mistake.
It’s what makes this penalty such a crushing blow. It’s not like he made a crucial mistake and slammed into a wall and ended his day. He didn’t run out of talent and screw himself as we see with other drivers that were eliminated. Alex Bowman was locked into the next round because of how well he ran. He lived up to his top-notch Hendrick Motorsports equipment, but the equipment failed him in the end.
Hendrick Motorsports announces it will *not* appeal Alex Bowman’s DQ. The playoff field for Round 3 is officially set. pic.twitter.com/TQGydCZu1U
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) October 14, 2024
Bowman will now look forward as his three teammates compete for a spot in the Championship 4 at his home track in Phoenix, Arizona. Undoubtedly devastated and frustrated. But if there is a silver lining, is that you’re free to be aggressive. Playing conservatively and making gains through stages isn’t worth it. He can go play spoiler, go win Las Vegas, Homestead, Martinsville, or even Phoenix (as Ross Chastain did in Ryan Blaney’s championship victory in 2023). Alex Bowman shouldn’t pack it up and call it a season. Build even more momentum to carry into 2025, and keep proving people wrong. It’s heartbreaking, he deserved better, but it’s not over yet.
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