Hendrick Motorsports has released a statement after the disqualification of their driver, Alex Bowman, from the crucial playoff race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The disqualification resulted from Bowman’s No. 48 Chevrolet being found underweight during a post-race inspection at the Charlotte Roval.

This decision effectively ends Bowman’s pursuit of the coveted 2024 championship title. The organization, however, has not ruled out appealing NASCAR’s decision.

Bowman’s disqualification came at a vital part of the playoffs as Charlotte was the last race of the Round of 12.

NASCAR Cup Series Managing Director Brad Moran elaborated on the sequence of inspections that led to the ruling, commenting :

"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."

In the wake of this decision, other playoff competitors, notably Joey Logano, have found themselves in advantageous positions. Logano now occupies Bowman’s vacant playoff slot. The opportunity affords him another shot at securing a third title.

Hendrick Motorsports has since released the following statement, confirming that they will investigate the situation and will decide whether to launch an appeal later today. They posted to social media:

"We are working to understand the issue and will make a decision Monday about whether to submit an appeal."

NASCAR Cup Series: Current Standings

1. Kyle Larson - 4052 points
2. Christopher Bell - 4032 points
3. Tyler Reddick - 4029 points
4. William Byron - 4023 points
5. Ryan Blaney - 4019 points
6. Denny Hamlin - 4015 points
7. Chase Elliott - 4014 points
8. Joey Logano - 4012 points
9. Alex Bowman - 2195 points
10. Austin Cindric - 2174 points
11. Ty Gibbs - 2150 points
12. Martin Truex Jr - 2146 points
13. Daniel Suárez - 2127 points
14. Brad Keselowski - 2120 points
15. Chase Briscoe - 2110 points
16. Harrison Burton - 2065 points
17. Chris Buescher - 830 points
18. Bubba Wallace - 824 points
19. Ross Chastain - 821 points
20. Kyle Busch - 711 points
21. Carson Hocevar - 604 points
22. Todd Gilliland - 579 points
23. Michael McDowell - 574 points
24. Ricky Stenhouse Jr - 543 points
25. Noah Gragson - 522 points
26. Ryan Preece - 507 points
27. Josh Berry - 506 points
28. Austin Dillon - 483 points
29. Zane Smith - 460 points
30. Justin Haley - 459 points
31. Corey LaJoie - 457 points
32. Erik Jones - 456 points
33. Daniel Hemric - 455 points
34. John H. Nemechek - 395 points
35. Kaz Grala - 188 points
36. Cody Ware - 130 points
37. Joey Hand - 43 points
38. Jimmie Johnson - 40 points
39. Derek Kraus - 32 points
40. David Ragan - 17 points
41. Kamui Kobayashi - 8 points
42. Will Brown - 6 points
43. Juan Pablo Montoya - 5 points
44. Cam Waters - 2 points