NASCAR post-race decision could change the entire season

As a seasoned NASCAR enthusiast with decades of racing history etched in my memory banks, I must say that the recent turn of events at Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval has been nothing short of intriguing. Joey Logano’s journey to the Championship 4 this year is a testament to the unpredictable nature of motorsports, and it reminds me of the time Dale Earnhardt Jr. won a race after being disqualified the week before!

Without NASCAR’s choice to disqualify Alex Bowman from Hendrick Motorsports at the final round of 12 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, Joey Logano from Team Penske would have been knocked out of the competition before the round of 8 started.

Initially, it was discovered that the No. 48 Chevrolet was too lightweight. Consequently, Bowman was disqualified, which caused him to lose points and fall short of the round of 8 cutoff. In the end, Logano progressed.

As a die-hard gamer, I’m pumped! My two-time victory in the Cup Series has earned me a spot in the Championship 4. Kicking off the round of 8 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was a dream come true. Ever since the new playoff format debuted in 2014, I’ve never failed to make it to the Championship 4 in even-numbered years – talk about consistency! Bring on the final challenge!

Furthermore, for the last four years ending in even numbers since 2018, he’s consistently qualified for the Championship 4 by triumphing in the opening race of the round of 8 each time.

One weekend, he was eliminated. The next weekend, he is Championship 4-bound.

There could be no doubt—the decision was quite straightforward. The car belonging to Bowman fell short of the minimum weight standard. If NASCAR had not penalized this infraction, the outcome might have sparked a lot of debate.

Bowman hasn’t broken any rules, but the rules are the rules, and they should be consistently enforced for every driver and team.

Nonetheless, Logano ultimately profited from the situation, essentially because he was the highest-ranked driver initially eliminated. He commenced the playoffs’ final stage as the least favored driver and the most unlikely to win the title, given his poorest statistical performance as a Team Penske driver this season.

Now he has two weeks to wait and see which three drivers will earn the right to join him in the Championship 4.

As a result, that post-race decision from Charlotte could ultimately allow Logano to become a three-time champion at Phoenix Raceway in a few weekends. No driver has won a third title since Tony Stewart did so in 2011.

It could also theoretically result in another driver not named Alex Bowman being eliminated.

If Bowman had progressed to the final eight, Logano would have been eliminated. If Bowman had advanced to the final eight and failed to reach the Championship 4, four other drivers would have made it instead.

Due to Logano’s entry into the Championship 4 and his victory at Las Vegas, the driver who would have been the fourth and final contender will find themselves watching from the sidelines as the season concludes.

The final two rounds of the 8 races are planned for Homestead-Miami Speedway on October 27th and Martinsville Speedway on November 3rd. You can catch all the live action on NBC, including the Championship race at Phoenix Raceway on the 10th of November. Why not start a free trial with FuboTV now, so you won’t miss a single moment!

2024-10-21 17:32