Just when you thought this weekend couldn’t get any worse for Hendrick Motorsports, Alex Bowman found himself in the wall. Chase Elliott, William Byron, and now Bowman are all out of this race due to damage. NASCAR Monday has not been all that great for this organization.
As the final stage was getting underway, cars jockeyed for position and tried to find their way further up the field. Alex Bowman had worked himself into playoff contention with his driving on Sunday and Monday. However, he’s going to start slipping to the other playoff bubble drivers after his wreck.
Bowman might not be done officially, but he will be a lot of laps down and unable to contend for major points on the day. When Austin Cindric didn’t realize he was three-wide, he got into Michael McDowell who got into Todd Gilliland who then got into Bowman.
If I was Kyle Larson, I’d be looking over my shoulder right now. Every single one of his teammates has fallen victim to the track at Michigan International Speedway. When you think about it, it is kind of wild that three of the four drivers have had damage so far.
Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott are in the same boat now. It is a must-win if either of these drivers wants to find themselves in the NASCAR Playoffs. That is easier said than done with just three more races left in the season to get the job done.
Hendrick playoff push gets more complicated with Alex Bowman, Chase Elliot
Michigan has put both Bowman and Elliott in a bad position. Both drivers have felt that they need to win, regardless of points. However, having that backdoor into the playoffs was a nice plan in case that didn’t happen. They needed to keep their cars on the track and DNFs are not going to cut it at a time like this.
Did Elliott have winning speed this weekend? Probably not. But that’s why they race the races. While it didn’t look promising, it was a day that Elliott could have at least picked up some points and gained some confidence. With a DNF it feels like things are dire now. Panic hasn’t set in, but it is knocking on the door.
As for Alex Bowman, it is the same story. The 48 car is one that can get into the playoffs almost every year. Missing four races due to injury puts Bowman in a position he doesn’t want to be in, though. One where he can’t rely on his consistency of the early season to push him into the postseason on points alone.
Does a win await wither of these drivers in the next three weeks? It is hard to say. Things definitely don’t look great at the moment.
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