NASCAR changes Charlotte results and playoff field hours after the race

Hendrick Motorsports' Alex Bowman believed that he was well on his way to the round of 8 of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs for the first time since 2020, locking in with his 18th place finish in the round of 12 finale at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval on Sunday afternoon.

The battle for the eighth and final spot in the semifinal round came down to 23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick, the regular season champion, and Team Penske's Joey Logano, who has made it to the Championship 4 in every even-numbered year since the modern format was introduced in 2014.

Reddick had to rally, but he ended up clearing Logano by four points to take the eighth and final spot in the next round.

Now Logano is set to advance as well.

Bowman was disqualified after the race, due to the fact that the No. 48 Chevrolet was found to be underweight in post-race inspection. He was ultimately scored in last place instead of 18th and also lost the 10 points he scored with his stage two win, and he fell below the round of 8 cut line because of it.

Rick Hendrick's team had been poised to see all four of their drivers advance to the round of 8, with Kyle Larson, William Byron, and Chase Elliott also advancing. The round of 8 is also set to consist of Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin, as well as reigning champion Ryan Blaney of Team Penske.

The round of 8 is scheduled to feature races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, and Martinsville Speedway to determine which four drivers will compete for a championship at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday, November 10.

While the decision is sure to cause an uproar (and already has, depending on where you look), NASCAR needed to make the call based on the rule book, not based on the time of year and the implications of any post-race changes. As a result, Bowman is out, and Logano is in.

Hendrick Motorsports will be allowed to appeal, but that surely won't impact the preparation plan of Logano and Team Penske throughout the coming week ahead of the round of 8.

The driver of the No. 22 Ford most recently qualified for the round of 8 in 2022, before he went on to win his second championship.

The round of 8 of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs is scheduled to begin at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with the South Point 400 this Sunday, October 20. NBC is set to provide live coverage starting at 2:30 p.m. ET. Start a free trial of FuboTV now and don't miss it!