Alex Bowman Opens Up on His 2024 NASCAR Playoffs Penalty at Charlotte Roval and How Joey Logano Winning the Title ‘Made It Worse’

Although Joey Logano’s winning the Cup Championship with an average finish of 17.11 sparked widespread calls for a revision of NASCAR’s format and became the biggest controversy of 2024, it all started with another incident — Alex Bowman’s disqualification. But while he has put that episode behind him and is looking ahead to the new season, Bowman recently discussed both controversies.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver, described his disqualification at Roval as unfortunate but beyond his control, emphasizing that the only way forward was to continue racing. However, when reflecting on Logano’s qualification and subsequent championship victory, he noted, “From different perspectives, it [Logano’s win] probably makes it [Bowman’s DQ] worse.”

He further remarked, “I hate that we gave them that opportunity, but we did, and they obviously capitalized on it and did what they needed to do. Props to them for being able to shake off what they had going on and go win a championship that way. That was a big achievement for them.”

During the last race of the Round of 12 at Roval, Tyler Reddick narrowly surpassed Logano, grabbing the final spot for the upcoming playoff round based on early results. However, the subsequent disqualification of Alex Bowman’s #48 car due to a weight measurement discrepancy thrust Logano forward with an additional nine points, relegating Bowman to P38 place in the standings and leaving him with a solitary championship point.

With Bowman removed from contention, the playoff landscape was dramatically altered, enabling Joey Logano, along with Chase Elliott, Bubba Wallace, and Ryan Blaney, to solidify their positions within the top ten. The reshuffling paved the way for Logano’s victory in the first race of the Round of 8 in Las Vegas, ultimately leading to his championship victory in Phoenix.

Alex Bowman enters 2025 with an optimistic outlook

Amidst a rough year filled with speculation about his tenure with Rick Hendrick’s team, the Arizona native is looking positively toward the fast-approaching 2025 racing season.“It certainly was disappointing and (it’s) part of racing, sometimes. Unfortunately, we let it happen,” Bowman reflected.

However, he also mentioned, “I don’t think it deflated our race team. It didn’t really change much of what we were doing. I think we continued to operate at a high level.”

Over the past three seasons, Bowman has secured two victories. With two years left on his Hendrick contract, he has ample opportunity to reverse his fortunes. However, achieving more frequent visits to victory lane is crucial for his comeback.

Having won at least one race in five of the last six seasons, despite a drop in form since his peak of four wins in 2021, the upcoming Daytona race presents a potential turning point for Bowman.

About the author

Neha Dwivedi

Neha Dwivedi is an experienced NASCAR Journalist at The SportsRush, having penned over 5500 articles on the sport to date. She was a seasoned writer long before she got into the world of NASCAR. Although she loves to see Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch win the races, she equally supports the emerging talents in the CARS Late Model and ARCA Menards Series.. For her work in NASCAR she has earned accolades from journalists like Susan Wade of The Athletic, as well as NASCAR drivers including Thad Moffit and Corey Lajoie. Her favorite moment from NASCAR was witnessing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. win the championship trophies. Outside the racetrack world, Neha immerses herself in the literary world, exploring both fiction and non-fiction.

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