Disqualified And Drenched: Alex Bowman’s Phone Takes A Swim…

To say Alex Bowman had a week from hell might just be the biggest understatement since a politician claimed they’d always tell the truth. Last Sunday afternoon, things kicked off on a somewhat high note for the Hendrick Motorsports driver. He climbed out of his Chevrolet at Charlotte’s ROVAL, probably breathing a sigh of relief. No, he didn’t win the race—that honor went to his Hendrick teammate, Kyle Larson—but Bowman managed to snag a stage win and finish 18th, enough to scrape into the next round of NASCAR’s Playoffs.

With the track not too far from home, Bowman was likely relaxing on his couch in no time, probably looking at all the happy creatures dancing on the lawn. Then came the call from his crew chief, Blake Harris, who was still at the track. And it wasn’t the “Hey, good job today!” call. No, there was a problem.

Turns out, NASCAR officials had found that his car was a bit too light during post-race inspection. They tried to cut the team some slack, adding fuel and reweighing it. Nope, still too light. And when it comes to rules like these, NASCAR’s about as flexible as a brick wall. That’s why Bowman’s No. 48 Chevy failed inspection and got disqualified. But the bad news didn’t end there. The DQ meant a last-place finish, a points wipeout, and—because this was the cutoff race—Bowman was out of the Playoffs, while Joey Logano was back in.

At first, Harris didn’t have the full picture—he was just calling in to say there was a hiccup with the inspection. Bowman didn’t hear the DQ verdict until he scrolled through social media. So, how did he handle it?

“I proceeded to throw my phone in the pool,” Bowman said Saturday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, talking to reporters like a guy reliving a nightmare.

And after he lobbed his phone into the deep end, things only got messier.