"Pretty embarrassed by it" - Jeff Gordon breaks silence on Alex Bowman's DQ, reveals why HMS chose not to appeal

Hendrick Motorsports vice-chairman, Jeff Gordon, broke his silence on Alex Bowman's disqualification from the Roval race, which bumped him out of the NASCAR playoffs. Gordon called the situation "embarrassing", acknowledging it was ultimately the #48 team's mistake, who were pushing the boundaries with the minimum weight limit.

Bowman finished 18th at the Roval, which was enough to advance to the Round of 8, as he was nine points above the cutline. However, during the post-race inspection, the #48 Chevrolet failed to meet the minimum weight requirement on multiple attempts. As a result, Bowman was disqualified, eliminating him from the playoffs, with Joey Logano advancing into the Round of 8.

After Hendrick Motorsports chose not to appeal Bowman's disqualification, Gordon addressed the situation on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Tuesday, October 15. The four-time NASCAR Cup champion expressed his disappointment, highlighting how the disqualification prevented all four HMS teams from advancing into the Round of 8.

Gordon commented on how the DQ overshadowed what would have been a historic day at the team's home track, highlighted by Kyle Larson's dominant victory (via NBC Sports):

"Pretty embarrassed by it and very disappointing after what was looking like a historical day and one of the most exciting days that we’ve had at the racetrack, being a home race and everything and celebrating in Victory Lane and then all four (advancing to the next round) and that all got wiped away."

Gordon explained that all NASCAR teams set up their cars near the minimum weight limit to gain a performance edge, but the #48 team "cut it too close," which led to their disqualification.

"Our teams, in order to just make the best performing race cars every weekend for our drivers, we know that we’ve got to stay as close to those minimums as possible. In this case, the 48 car, they just cut it too close and missed it. That’s on us," he added.

The HMS vice chairman said that the penalty was "tough to swallow," especially considering Bowman's strong playoff performances. Despite the setback, Gordon emphasized that the #48 team is focusing on winning races and finishing higher in the standings.

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Jeff Gordon on how Alex Bowman's DQ affects Hendrick Motorsports

With three Hendrick Motorsports teams still vying for the 2024 title, Jeff Gordon stressed that the team will assess and adjust their procedures to prevent such failures in the future. He said numerous meetings took place following Alex Bowman's DQ, involving GM Jeff Andrews, VP of competition Chad Knaus, as well as the crew chiefs and car chiefs.

Gordon added on SiriusXM that HMS is not the only team chasing performance by reducing weight, but acknowledged that the #48 team pushed too far at the Roval.

"We know that teams, they push the tolerances. … I know we’re not alone. All the teams do this in order to stay as competitive as we can possibly be every single weekend. You’ve got to look at all those processes and procedures to see how close are we cutting it. … The most important thing is making sure that all four of our cars moving forward are going to be able to meet those tolerances."

Kyle Larson, William Byron, and Chase Elliott continue Hendrick Motorsports' playoff campaign in 2024, aiming to win the title in the organization's 40th anniversary.