The Roval proved skeptics wrong on Sunday, and nobody was happier than Marcus Smith. The Speedway Motorsports CEO had faced criticism for the track’s revamp. However, after a tightly contested race with a thrilling finale, it’s fair to say that criticism has been silenced. Smith’s dear friend and business partner, Rick Hendrick, expressed his delight with the new course to Marcus in Victory Lane while congratulating Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 5 driver, Kyle Larson, on his win.

So what are the changes that were made to the Roval? The infield reconfiguration stood out to be most pertinent as a longer straightaway connecting Turn 5 to Turn 6 was followed by an elevation drop into the right-hand bend, making it a virtually blind turn. That set up a significantly tighter Turn 7, a slow left-hander that opened the door for exciting passing opportunities. Despite all these changes, one team stood out amongst the rest.

Rick Hendrick’s team dominates at the ROVAL

Well, of course, Rick Hendrick would be happy; his No.5 just made it his win number 6 for the season. Kyle Larson also leads all drivers with two playoff wins this season, making him a strong contender for the Cup series championship. He led a dominant performance for Hendrick Motorsport, with three of their drivers finishing in the top 5, with William Byron in third place and Chase Elliot in fifth place as HMS made Charlotte their own.

The Charlotte Speedway will always have a special place in Rick Hendrick’s heart, as it is in his home state of North Carolina. Hendrick was delighted with how the track turned out despite the drivers’ backlash against Smith. “Well, I think they went pretty well”, said Marcus Smith. “When I got to Victory Lane and Jeff Gordon and Rick Hendrick both said ‘We really like the changes you’ve made to the ROVAL.’ I laughed, of course, and said I’m glad you guys finally like it.”

“It provided some great braking zones, certainly the changes on the front chicane with the difference in the turtles or the rumble area. That certainly made a difference in today’s race. But it was a great change. The pace on the infield was a lot faster than the previous setup and I think that that long sweeping right-hander that came into the heavy braking zone was a game changer for us and it was a lot of fun to watch”

Hendrick Motorsports is known for dominating as a team, with Charlotte ranking as one of their historically successful tracks. HMS has collected 22 wins at the Charlotte Motor Speedway with the first coming in 1988. Placing three drivers in the top 5 is not a small feat, but could they have had an even better day? Hendrick Motorsports was so close to it being a perfect day until the post-race inspection led to a shocking decision.

Hendrick Motorsports Alex Bowman disqualified following post-race inspection

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Alex Bowman saw his season come to a halt. The 31-year-old finished 18th and clinched stage 2, but none of that mattered as his car weighed in too low at the end of the race. The No.48 car would have been the fourth car from HMS to make the final eight in what would have been a historic moment for the team.

Brad Moran, NASCAR’s Cup Series managing director, opened up on the inspection procedure, stating: “Unfortunately, the 48 had an issue (and) did not meet minimum weight. We put the car to the side. We continued on. We… gave them the opportunity to fuel the car as well as purge the water system and add water. So we gave them every opportunity to make weight. We ran them back through. Unfortunately, they were light again. They are allowed a 0.5 percent weight break, which is for usage of fluids and so on.”

Hendrick Motorsports did have the option to appeal the decision but decided not to and released a statement saying: “Hendrick Motorsports will not appeal the disqualification of the No. 48 car following Sunday’s race at the Charlotte ROVAL. 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. We are extremely disappointed to lose a Playoff spot under these circumstances and apologize to our fans and partners.”

Rick Hendrick and the team would look to put this behind them and focus on the three drivers who stand a shot at winning the Cup series championship as the season approaches a grand finale. Do you think a Hendrick Motorsports driver will take home the Cup Series trophy this year?