NASCAR teams are always looking for ways to get ahead, and sometimes that means bending the rules. Alex Bowman’s #48 team, however, pushed too far at the Roval race, with NASCAR officials finding the car underweight in the post-race inspection. This violation cost Bowman his playoff spot just as he was finding his stride.
Though some thought the team might appeal, they accepted the penalty. While reactions have been mixed, Chase Elliott stepped up to defend Bowman’s team, pointing out that the weight issue likely didn’t impact his race performance.
Chase Elliott clearly disappointed by NASCAR’s call
Setting up the race cars is one of the crucial factors that can make or break a driver’s fortunes on the racetrack. Team engineers and crew chiefs try their best to find that extra bit of performance with their skill set. Back in the day, you could clearly identify the top running teams based on speed and their set-up. However, in the Next-Gen era and parity racing, it is hard to find that differentiating factor.
Everyone is running with the same parts spruced by NASCAR’s licensed third-party vendors. So, the team setting up the cars has little space in how they can find that extra bit of edge over the competition. It’s hard to guess if Blake Harris and the team intentionally tempered with the weight of the #48 Chevy, but given the verdict, it’s evident that they pushed beyond the limits.
For some, this is appalling, but for a regular like Chase Elliott, this is how the game is played. But was disappointed to see his teammate being on the bitter end of things after the Roval race. “It’s a delicate line, but one that us as competitors across the sport, you have to push the boundaries as much as you can because there’s performance in different areas, and you have to do that, and everyone’s doing that. So trying to find that balance.”
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