Jeff Gordon reacts to Alex Bowman Roval disqualification, explains decision not to appeal

Hendrick Motorsports Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon said Tuesday the team is “embarrassed” by Alex Bowman and the No. 48 team failing post-race inspection for being underweight after Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400 at Charlotte.

“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 said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, via Dustin Long of NBC Sports.

NASCAR disqualified Bowman from the race, thus eliminating him from the Cup Series playoffs with just four races remaining. Bowman initially finished P18 at Charlotte, advancing to the Round of 8 with a nine-point cushion. The disqualification dropped him last in the 38-car field and gave Joey Logano the final transfer spot.

Before the disqualification, Hendrick was celebrating Kyle Larson’s dominant victory at Charlotte and all four cars advancing to the Round of 8. That’s been undone by the post-race penalty, which Hendrick decided not to appeal.

Gordon said they did not see anything “we felt comfortable appealing.”

“We looked at all the facts, and we didn’t feel like there’s really anything that we felt comfortable appealing. And we’re going to move on,” Gordon said.

NASCAR’s Brad Moran explains what led to Alex Bowman’s disqualification from Charlotte Roval

The NASCAR Rule Book states: “After a vehicle has raced, the minimum overall vehicle weight of all vehicles must be within 0.5% of the minimum overall vehicle weight required at the start of the Race.”

Brad Moran, Cup Series managing director, said the 48 team was given the opportunity to fuel the car, purge the water system and add water. NASCAR re-scaled the car multiple times, and it never met the minimum weight.

“Unfortunately, when we were running the No. 48 through, it didn’t pass the minimum weight specs,” Moran said. “We pulled the car off to the side and we allowed them to fuel it which they already did. Let them fuel it again, let them run the pumps to make sure all the pickup boxes were full. We give the teams every opportunity to try to meet minimum weight. We also have them plug in the water. And run the water through the system to make sure they’re full of water. And then we re-scale it. Still didn’t meet the weight.

“We backed it off and we ran it across one more time just to confirm the weights were accurate. Unfortunately, they did not meet the minimum weight. They are allowed half of a percent of a weight break which is about 17 pounds, give or take. That is what they’re allowed, and it was more than that.”