NASCAR News: Hendrick Team will not appeal Bowman DSQ

Hendrick Motorsports has decided not to appeal the disqualification of Alex Bowman and the No. 48 team from Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400 due to an underweight car.

In post-race technical inspection, the No. 48 HMS Chevrolet failed to meet minimum weight requirements, which includes a tolerance of around 17 pounds. The car was weighed multiple times and the team was given the chance to both fuel up the car and add water.

Some believed the organization had a case, as dashcam footage from another driver showed what appeared to be a significant piece dislodging from Bowman’s car over a bump in the course.

It’s possible that piece was enough to cause the weight discrepancy that got Alex Bowman disqualified from the race, which caused him to therefore fall out of the top eight of the playoff standings on points.

In a statement released on Monday, HMS gave the following explanation for their decision to accept the penalty: “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.”