NASCAR: Alex Bowman’s penalty eliminated a second driver

NASCAR: Alex Bowman's penalty eliminated a second driver

As a die-hard NASCAR fan with decades of experience under my belt, I must say, the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs have been nothing short of heart-wrenching! The final lap at Martinsville Speedway was a rollercoaster ride that left me on the edge of my seat. Christopher Bell’s move on Bubba Wallace may not have been everyone’s cup of tea, but it sure did spice up the race!

At Martinsville Speedway’s 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs round of 8 finale, Christopher Bell from Joe Gibbs Racing was disqualified due to a safety infraction that occurred during his last-lap maneuver against Bubba Wallace from 23XI Racing. The ruling declared the move as an unsafe action.

The action bore a striking resemblance to the “Hail Melon” maneuver performed by Ross Chastain at the four-turn, 0.526-mile (0.847-kilometer) Ridgeway, Virginia oval two years ago. However, this move was subsequently prohibited in all future NASCAR competitions.

There was uncertainty if they would actually implement the new rule, largely due to the belief that such a thing wouldn’t happen again. However, NASCAR chose to uphold the rule, making the right choice in doing so.

Regrettably, the driver of the No. 20 Toyota lost a place in the Championship 4 for the third year running, thereby concluding his record-breaking 107-race stretch where he was eligible for the championship title.

In this race, Bell just needed to secure one more spot above William Byron to move ahead in the standings because he had a tiebreaker advantage over driver No. 24 and his Chevrolet. His top finish during the playoffs was a second place at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, while Byron placed fourth at the same track.

In a somewhat contentious decision, Bell’s position shifted from 19th to 18th overall. However, the imposed penalty pushed him back down to 22nd, indicating that he ended up four points below Byron in the last eight rankings.

But had it not been for an earlier penalty, from three weeks prior, Bell would have advanced whether he made the move or not.

At first, Alex Bowman from Hendrick Motorsports earned a spot for the final eight races, but following the finale of the round of 12 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, it was discovered that his vehicle was too light and as a result, he was disqualified.

The points he lost from the disqualification kept him from advancing, and Team Penske’s Joey Logano instead took his spot in the round of 8. Logano went on to qualify for the Championship 4 by winning the round of 8 opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Had Bowman not been disqualified, Logano’s win would not have locked anybody into the Championship 4.

23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick and Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney would have both earned a spot in the Championship 4 if they had won at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Martinsville Speedway respectively. In such a scenario, not one but two spots for the Championship 4 would have been determined based on points instead of just one.

In a different phrasing, it can be said that Byron and Bell could have made more progress than just Byron alone. However, based on Bowman’s scores in the final eight races, he wouldn’t have moved forward to the next round.

If Kyle Larson hadn’t been among those below the Championship 4 elimination threshold, it would have been Bell taking his place, rather than Larson. Both Denny Hamlin from Joe Gibbs Racing and Chase Elliott from Hendrick Motorsports would have also failed to make the cut.

Tune in to the thrilling 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4, airing live on NBC from Phoenix Raceway starting at 3:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, November 10. Sign up for a free trial of FuboTV today and catch all the action!

2024-11-04 17:02