Hendrick Motorsports’ official website ascribed different strengths to its drivers. Kyle Larson’s dominance, Chase Elliott’s consistency, William Byron’s timeliness, and Alex Bowman’s potential. But before Bowman could reach his true potential in the 2024 season, NASCAR came in the way. Until the Charlotte Roval race, the No. 48 driver was leading in points accumulated during the postseason. But his 18th-place finish and 9-point cushion were nullified after a failed post-race inspection.

The news dropped like a bomb on the 48 team and its fans. However, a recent turn of events has twisted the plot further – Bowman’s own team is choosing not to refute NASCAR’s claims. This sharply contrasts Rick Hendrick’s approach to Kyle Larson when the latter missed the Coca-Cola 600 in May. This begs the question – has favoritism touched HMS’ inner fold as well?

Hendrick may be behind Alex Bowman’s stunted hopes 

A slew of inconsistency charges have hit NASCAR lately. After Josh Berry was not allowed to work on his car at the Kansas race due to the Damaged Vehicle Policy, Talladega presented a different situation. Chase Elliott and others’ cars were towed back to the pit road for repairs while a gaggle of wrecked cars sat idle. Then the Xfinity Roval race saw Parker Kligerman losing his victory by five feet just because of a delayed caution call. Now Rick Hendrick is seemingly rubbing off of this questionable behavior, as he chose not to give the golden boy treatment to Alex Bowman.

Missing 17 pounds of the required post-race weight, NASCAR disqualified the No. 48 car. It stripped Alex Bowman of his points and playoff eligibility. But in an official release by the HMS team, no appeal would be made against the disqualification. In a post by journalist Jeff Gluck, we find the reasons provided: “NASCAR allows a clear margin to account for the difference in pre- and post-race weight. After a thorough review by our team and the sanctioning body, we simply did not give ourselves enough margin to meet the post-race requirement. Although unintentional, the infraction was avoidable.” 

This “unavoidable” circumstance is clearly unlike Kyle Larson’s missing the Coca-Cola 600 race. Although preparations for his ‘Double’ attempt have been afoot since last year and the Indy 500 had a four-hour rain delay, NASCAR has a rule about dissolving a driver’s playoff eligibility if they fail to start a race. Apparently, that rule was not as “clear” as NASCAR’s margin for post-race weight for Rick Hendrick. This also points the limelight to Alex Bowman‘s possible ejection from HMS, a rumor that he put in so much hard work to snuff out.

But Bowman’s progress and rapid playoff advance are not going acknowledged. The NASCAR community is also baffled at Hendrick Motorsports’ apparent favoritism.

NASCAR fans catch the fishy smell

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Among all the HMS drivers, Alex Bowman holds the underdog rank. His 8 Cup Series victories pale in comparison to his compatriots’ double-digit wonders – William Byron’s 13, Chase Elliott’s 19, and Kyle Larson‘s 29. Even after Bowman insisted on his belonging to HMS, one fan opined the appeal decision should make him stand out. “If Bowman didn’t feel like the odd man out before, this would pretty much seal the deal. So strange.” The discrepancy began at the season’s opening race – we all remember the huge controversy surrounding Bowman and Byron’s photo finish. Many people felt Bowman deserved the win, but NASCAR handed it to Byron. So one fan commented: “Insane… they don’t care about Bowman 😭“

Elliott’s DVP infraction aside, William Byron was also favored. On Sunday, NASCAR penalized Bubba Wallace for cutting a chicane – whereas it ignored William Byron, two cars behind Wallace, as he committed the same violation. So one fan poked the elephant in the room: “Honestly the weirdest part is it’s only the 48, every other Hendrick car passed post race tech. Super interesting it is only one car.” Another fan referred to Elliott’s favoritism, bashing Hendrick for an alleged conspiracy against Bowman. “This was Hendrick plan all along, this was their security blanket to make sure Chase made it. Set Bowman up to fail in case Elliott finished 9th, so he would then make it in.” Somebody else plainly said Bowman deserves better. “Wow If I’m bowman I’m planning on leaving after the contract is up, this is bulls–t. Blake Harris should be terminated immediately.”

Evidently, the glaringly visible HMS favoritism is rallying fans to support Alex Bowman’s cause. The No. 48 worked hard in the postseason, and such a swift drop in ranks is indeed embarrassing.