Video shows possible moment Alex Bowman lost car part causing him to fail post-race inspection

The racing at the Charlotte Roval was exhilarating, but by far the top story following the Bank of America Roval 400 was the disqualification of Alex Bowman over the post-race weight of his car.

When the checkered flag waved, Bowman was the last driver to make the Round of 8, with two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano the first one out. However, Logano jumped the No. 48 when Bowman was disqualified, but it’s evident the controversy is far from over involving the Hendrick Motorsports star.

New footage has emerged where it’s clear Bowman’s car lost a part during the race. According to Matt Weaver of Sportsnaut, this could be part of the team’s appeal to NASCAR, as they try to explain why their car was underweight. Check out the video below of the moment below.

This could be part of the 48 team's argument and appeal. https://t.co/kOoyqCHP8v

— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) October 14, 2024

As you can see, Bowman’s No. 48 is in clear view due to Michael McDowell’s in-car camera, and there’s obviously a part seen flying off of the vehicle. Will that be enough to overturn NASCAR’s decision? Time will tell, but an appeal process will be expedited, according to motorsports reporter Claire B. Lang.

“NASCAR just told me IF @TeamHendrick appeals the #48 penalty it will be an expedited appeal and heard this week before the round of 8 starts,” Lang posted on X.

Alas, it’s possible that piece was enough to cause the weight discrepancy that got Bowman disqualified from the race, which led to him falling out of the top eight of the playoff standings on points. That’ll certainly be the hope for Hendrick Motorsports.

To add some more context on the situation, NASCAR Cup Series Managing Director Brad Moran explained why the move was made, and what led to the disqualification of the No. 48 car.

“Unfortunately, when we were running the No. 48 through, it didn’t pass the minimum weight specs,” Moran said. “We pulled the car off to the side and we allowed them to fuel it which they already did. We let them fuel it again, we let them let them run the pumps to make sure all the pickup boxes were full.

“We give the teams every opportunity to try to meet minimum weight. We also have them plug in the water and run the water through the system to make sure they’re full of water and then we re-scale it. Sill didn’t meet the weight. We backed it off and we run it across one more time just to confirm the weights were accurate. Unfortunately, they did not meet the minimum weight. They are allowed half of a percent of a weight break which is about 17 pounds, give or take. That is what they’re allowed and it was more than that.”

Alex Bowman believed he was onto the Round of 8, while Joey Logano thought his quest for a third Cup Series title was over. For now, they’ve swapped positions, but if Hendrick Motorsports decides to appeal the decision, perhaps we could see the No. 48 return to the title hunt.

On3’s Brian Jones contributed to this article.