“I smell sabotage”: Fans fuming over HMS’ decision to not appeal following Alex Bowman’s playoff exit

NASCAR driver Alex Bowman was disqualified from the Bank of America ROVAL 400 after failing a post-race inspection. Hendrick Motorsports chose not to appeal NASCAR's decision, sparking mixed reactions from fans.

Bowman pilots the #48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports (HMS), competing full-time in the Cup Series. In his NASCAR career, Bowman has secured 8 wins in NASCAR's top division. Moreover, the 31-year-old also has six victories in the ARCA Series, solidifying his career in motorsports.

Bowman had initially made his way to the Round of 8 after finishing in P18 at the Charlotte ROVAL in the 2024 Cup Series playoffs. However, Bowman's #48 Chevy did not meet the weight requirements in the post-race inspection, eventually leading to his disqualification.

Fox Sports' Bob Pockrass reported Hendrick Motorsports' statement to not appeal against NASCAR's decision to disqualify the #48 driver.

"Hendrick won’t appeal the Bowman disqualification. They said they didn’t give themselves enough of a margin to meet the postrace standards (no explanation on how the car lost the weight)."

Several fans reacted to this statement, criticizing HMS amidst rumors surrounding Bowman's exit from the team. One fan wrote:

"I smell sabotage"

"Gordon and Hendrick screwing over Bowman. I guarantee you if it were any of the other cars, they would have appealed," a fan claimed.

"Can’t fire a guy who is doing well, definitely and inside job at Hendrick," another fan stated.

"Huge f*ck up for Team Hendricks, simple as," a fan wrote.

"As a Bowman fan I am highly disappointed and very angry with the team!!" a fan expressed.

Meanwhile, one particular fan shared some words of encouragement for the driver and the team for not making it to the playoffs.

"Wow, that's a tough break for Hendrick Motorsports! 😢 It sounds like they took responsibility for the situation, but I can only imagine how frustrating it must be for everyone involved. Hang in there, guys! 💪" the fan said.

Team Penske driver Joey Logano replaced Alex Bowman in the list of drivers competing in the Round of 8. Additionally, Bowman is the only HMS driver to not advance to the next round.

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Alex Bowman comments on getting disqualified from the 2024 championship fight

Alex Bowman was having a fantastic run in the 2024 playoffs before the Round of 12 finale at the Charlotte ROVAL. Despite officially finishing the race, the #48 driver's title dream was shattered after the post-race inspection.

While rumors around his exit from HMS stirred, Bowman did not let it affect his performances. Following the end of the race, the Arizona native said (via Toby Christie):

"I didn't crash. That's the hardest I've ever hit anything in my life. Just a hard thing...these things have big roadblocks underneath them."

"Just how I was following, I think the #1(Ross Chastain), I just couldn't see. I thought I was okay. Clearly, I was too far on the left. My mistake caused that for sure," he added.

NASCAR will return with the playoffs on October 20th for the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race is scheduled for 2:30 PM ET and will be broadcast on NBC Sports, PRN Live, and SiriusXM NASCAR.