It’s down to the top 8 and there are still 3 Hendrick Motorsports drivers in the playoffs. Kyle Larson won his fifth race of the season and many believe that this will lead to him winning the championship. With just 4 races left, the playoffs are in full swing, and despite the team’s performance, Denny Hamlin does not believe that they will win.

Alex Bowman did not have the best race at The Roval, mainly because NASCAR axed down his finishing position of P 18 for his underweight car. Bowman’s car was underweight by 17 pounds, and after NASCAR conducted its inspection, they decided to disqualify Bowman and give him the last-place finish. The last-place finish for Bowman meant no playoff points for the driver, and that’s why Denny Hamlin believes that the team does not look like they can win.

Denny Hamlin explains Alex Bowman’s penalty

Denny Hamlin, who is currently in the elimination zone of the playoffs, came 14th at the Roval. But there are still 3 races for him to find himself in the top 4. This year many want Hamlin to win, as his record of going 20 years without a title win creeps up on him. Now in the top 8, Hamlin spoke about Alex Bowman’s disqualification on his podcast to discuss why HMS’s chances of winning the appeal seem low.

“I just—I think they’re screwed. But I don’t know, you know.” Denny Hamlin shared his perspective on the race during the latest episode of Actions Detrimental. Speaking about the disqualification of Alex Bowman, Hamlin explained, “I would say it’s pretty black and white. But I just never count out Hendrick when it comes to an appeal.” The conversation progressed with the No. 11 driver discussing why Alex Bowman got disqualified at The Roval.

“They’re more than 17 pounds underweight. I mean, that’s a big chunk,” said Denny Hamlin. He explained how the team must have tried to get to the car to add weights during the inspection to avoid the penalty. Hamlin explained the circumstances under which the weight issue could be overlooked, saying, “Well, if you didn’t hear, he said that they give a weight—they kind of give you a fudge factor there. He said 0.5% of the car weight as a kind of buffer, and that’s 17 pounds, and they didn’t even meet that.”

After speaking about Alex Bowman‘s situation, Hamlin explained how difficult it is to get the car’s weight down. Hamlin then stated, “These crew chiefs, these teams, they fight for every pound that they can get out of that race car. These things are tanks when it comes to how heavy they are.” Ultimately, Hamlin spoke about the chance for Hendrick Motorsports to appeal the disqualification, saying, “So, I don’t know. I just—I would say it’s pretty black and white, like you’re saying, Travis, but I just never count out Hendrick when it comes to an appeal.”

As Hamlin explains, Hendrick Motorsports has had good fortune when it comes to appeals. Back in 2023 when NASCAR slapped Hendrick teams with $100,000 fines each for modified hood louvers at the Spring Phoenix’s pre-race inspections. In addition to the monetary fine, crew chiefs Cliff Daniels, Alan Gustafson, Rudy Fugle, and Blake Harris received 4 race suspensions, combined with each team losing 100 points and 10 playoff points. After the team appealed, the National Motorsports Appeals Panel overturned the ruling, removing the points penalty entirely.

However, the situation with Bowman may not be the same. Let’s take a look at what NASCAR had to say about his disqualification.

Everything you need to know about Alex Bowman’s disqualification

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In the post-race technical inspection, NASCAR revealed that Alex Bowman’s car did not meet the minimum weight requirement, which led to his disqualification. To explain what went down with Bowman’s car, Brad Moran, the managing director, came forward to explain why NASCAR decided to disqualify the HMS driver.

Explaining the DQ, Moran stated, “Unfortunately, when we were running the No. 48 through, it didn’t pass the minimum weight specs. We pulled the car off to the side. We allowed them to fuel it, which they already did.” In response to what Brad Moran stated, Hendrick Motorsports replied, “We are working to understand the issue and will make a decision Monday about whether to submit an appeal.”

This loss was a huge one for Hendrick Motorsports, who planned on having all 4 drivers in the top 4 for the finals at Phoenix. The disqualification led to Bowman getting eliminated while Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, and William Byron made it into the top 8. Bowman’s disqualification also handed a massive lifeline to Joey Logano and Team Penske. Finishing 8th, Logano’s hopes of joining the round of 8 were completely demolished since Chase Elliott finished ahead of him. However, Bowman’s disqualification brought his championship hopes back. putting a second Team Penske car in the round of 8.

Now with just 4 races to go, who do you think will survive till the final top 4? Share your thoughts in the comments below.