How did Alex Bowman become the catalyst for Joey Logano's third Cup Series title? Exploring Team Penske’s drastic Championship turnaround

Joey Logano etched his name in the NASCAR history books by winning his third career Cup Series championship on Sunday at the Phoenix Raceway, becoming only the third driver to accomplish such a feat. However, the driver of the #22 Team Penske Ford wouldn't have reached the milestone if it wasn't for Alex Bowman's misfortune at the Charlotte Roval this year.

Charlotte Roval hosted the final race of the Round of 12 last month. Originally, Bowman wheeled his #48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to an 18th-place finish, which helped him secure a spot in the Round of 8. Logano, meanwhile, finished in eighth but didn't tally enough points to earn a spot in the next round. Therefore, the 34-year-old was eliminated from the playoffs.

Yet, not all hope was lost for Logano, as Bowman was disqualified after his car failed post-race inspection. Because of this, Bowman lost 20 points after receiving an automatic last-place finish in the event, dropping him out of the Round of 8 and bumping Logano in.

Brad Moran, managing director of the Cup Series, provided insight as to why the #48 machine was disqualified. Moran said the Arizona native's car didn't meet the minimum weight. Moran added:

“We backed the car back off the scales, ran it back on and then, unfortunately, it was the same weight. So the car had a weight issue. All the other cars cleared inspection. The 48 didn’t, and that ends up in a disqualification.” (via NASCAR.com)

This gave Logano another shot at the championship, and the Connecticut native took full advantage. He won the opening race of the Round of 8 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway to clinch a spot in the Championship 4 race.

On Sunday at Phoenix, Logano outran Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney, William Byron, and Tyler Reddick for the race victory and his third Cup Series title. It marked Logano's second title in the last three seasons and the third straight championship for Team Penske.

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Alex Bowman threw his phone in his pool after learning about his Charlotte Roval disqualification

Alex Bowman threw his phone into his pool after hearing the news that he was disqualified after the race at the Charlotte Roval. When the device hit the bottom of the pool, it accidentally dialed 9-1-1.

Racing insider Jeff Gluck reported on the phone incident via his personal X account, writing:

“Alex Bowman learned the DQ news from Twitter and then he threw his phone in the pool bc he knew it was about to blow up with texts. When it hit the bottom of the pool, his phone called 911 because it thought he had been in a car crash. (Fortunately, the cops didn’t show up because there was no service under the water, he said.). His phone still works (iPhones are waterproof.).”

While Logano went on to win his third Cup Series title, Bowman finished ninth in the final standings after one win and eight top-fives in 2024.