Joey Logano recalls when he learned of Alex Bowman DQ at Roval, advancing to Round of 8

In the immediate aftermath of Sunday’s Round of 12 finale at the Charlotte Roval, Joey Logano was disappointed as his playoff run had come to an end.

A P8 finish left him four points short of Tyler Reddick for the final transfer spot, ending his chances of going for a third Cup Series championship. But before the night was through, Logano received a Manna from Heaven. NASCAR disqualified Alex Bowman and the No. 48 team from the Roval after the car failed post-race inspection for being underweight. Suddenly, Logano found himself Round of 8 bound.

Logano, speaking with the media Tuesday, said he heard rumors of a delay in tech, but wasn’t getting his hopes up. Once it became official and Hendrick Motorsports decided not to appeal the penalty, that disappointment turned into pure joy.

Joey Logano said he was cautiously optimistic on Sunday night and Monday about being in the Round of 8 while awaiting a decision on whether Hendrick would appeal the Alex Bowman DQ (HMS opted not to appeal). pic.twitter.com/Kj1CojgSqz

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) October 15, 2024

“I was obviously surprised,” Logano told Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports. “I heard rumors before that of a delay in tech and some of those things going on. Usually nothing happens and so I was kind of surprised to hear that. Typically, by the time you roll the car off the scales to give them the opportunity to put weight in the car, it’s usually fine. In this case, that wasn’t the case, and I was like, ‘Would we be in?’ That was the first question you have to ask and obviously the answer was yes.

“And then your still kind of cautiously optimistic because you’re thinking, ‘Well, there will probably be an appeal and if there is, we may not know till later.’ You just kind of keep going on with your life and preparing for the next race. Obviously, news came out that they’re not appealing, so we move on in the Round of 8 and off we go.”

Joey Logano back in championship contention after Alex Bowman DQ at Charlotte Roval

Logano is part of a stacked Round of 8 field which includes four drivers who have already won at least one championship (Logano, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney) and four drivers going for their first (Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Tyler Reddick).

As we know, it’s an even year, and Logano knows how to find his way to the Championship 4 in an even year. Logano won his championships in 2018 and 2022, finished fourth in 2014, second in 2016 and third in 2020.

If history tells us anything, Logano will be there again in a month’s time.