Dale Earnhardt Jr. has spoken out after Hendrick Motorsports confirmed the decision not to appeal the disqualification of Alex Bowman from the Charlotte Roval race.
The decision to forego an appeal left many, including Earnhardt Jr., puzzled, as it significantly impacted Bowman’s championship prospects, pushing him out of the top eight in the playoff standings. Earnhardt Jr. addressed this issue on his podcast, Dale Jr. Download.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., son of the legendary Dale Earnhardt, has been a mainstay in NASCAR, having secured multiple wins across the NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series. In his podcast, Earnhardt Jr. discussed how Bowman’s championship hopes hinged on the potential of an appeal, or more accurately, on the decision not to pursue one. He commented:
“With everything on the line, this is Alex’s championship hopes. They rest on the idea that they can somehow appeal this, and they didn’t even try to appeal it.
Alex Bowman, driver of the #48 Ally Chevrolet, drives during the NASCAR Cup Series Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 13, 2024 in Concord, North Carolina. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was confused over Hendrick Motorsports’s decision to not appeal Alex Bowman’s disqualification.
Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
“I called around a little bit yesterday looking for some information. I was told that there was no understanding as to how the car was light, what might have come off of it.”
Hendrick Motorsports, established by Rick Hendrick, is known for its dominance in NASCAR, boasting numerous championships. However, the team’s recent decision has drawn scrutiny. The No. 48 car driven by Alex Bowman was disqualified following the Bank of America Roval 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval after it failed the technical inspection due to not meeting the required weight.
Earnhardt Jr. continued:
“The team at one point yesterday was still as confused as the rest of us. That was a bit surprising because the teams are good enough, all the guys and the technical crew chief, engineers, if the car is light, they can probably look at the car and spend 20 minutes in the garage and go, ‘Yup, there it is. There’s the problem.’ And still hours later, they were like dumbfounded or just still unsure as to how this could happen.
“I’m going to assume that there’s nothing significant of weight that came off of the car. The car was beyond the tolerance that NASCAR allowed, and even if it’s half a pound, it’s beyond the tolerance.
“If they can’t argue that there was some parts and pieces that would make up for that weight loss, then there’s no way to win the appeal. Hendrick must look at it and go, ‘There’s no way we can win this. This is an obvious mistake.'”
Hendrick Motorsports released an official statement confirming their decision not to appeal on Monday, as previously reported by Newsweek Sports:
“Hendrick Motorsports will not appeal the disqualification of the No. 48 car following Sunday’s race at the Charlotte ROVAL.
“NASCAR allows a clear margin to account for the difference in pre and post-race weight. After a thorough review by our team and the sanctioning body, we simply did not give ourselves enough margin to meet the post-race requirement. Although unintentional, the infraction was avoidable. We are extremely disappointed to lose a playoff spot under these circumstances and apologize to our fans and partners.”
