Jeff Gordon has weighed in about the Alex Bowman disqualification, saying that Hendrick Motorsports is "pretty embarrassed."
NASCAR officials disqualified the No. 48 team after last weekend's Charlotte Roval race due to the Chevrolet failing to meet minimum weight in post-race inspection. Bowman had finished inside the top 20 and advanced in the playoffs, but the DQ removed him from the Round of 8.
"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 (drivers advancing to the Round of 8) and that all got wiped away," Gordon said during a Tuesday appearance on "The Morning Drive."
Hendrick Motorsports had the opportunity to appeal this decision before heading to Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The team released a statement on Monday evening saying that it would not pursue this avenue.
As Gordon explained, the team looked at all the facts and examined the car. They did not see anything that they felt comfortable appealing. He acknowledged that teams are often close to the allowed minimum weight during a race weekend.
"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," Gordon explained. "In this case, the 48 car, they just cut it too close and missed it. So, that's on us."
The Hall of Fame driver continued and explained how Bowman's performance during the playoffs makes this disqualification difficult to swallow for Hendrick Motorsports. He has seen the Hendrick driver and the No. 48 team rise to the occasion.
"That team has had a lot of pressure on them," Gordon said. They've been building this team up, getting more depth, getting more comfortable with one another. Alex being healthy this year (after a back injury).
"They go win at Chicago and get themselves in the playoffs and performed at a high level through the playoffs. So you hate to take that momentum and opportunity away, and I know they're disappointed as well."
Where does Hendrick Motorsports go from here after this disqualification took a car out of the playoffs? The simple answer is an internal examination.
Gordon said that the crew chiefs and car chiefs are meeting with President/General Manager Jeff Andrews and Vice President of Competition Chad Knaus. They are assessing to ensure that the teams can meet NASCAR's requirements moving forward with the rest of the season and into the next.
"You've got to look at all those processes and procedures to see how close are we cutting it," Gordon said.
