Another race is in the books on the 2021 season. This weekend featured some wild racing and a dominating performance for Hendrick Motorsports at the Monster Mile. It was the one and only trip to Dover this season due to the schedule shakeup and fans knew they needed to make the most out of it. Drivers did too as the NASCAR Cup Series looked to show off their skills at the concrete mile.
Kyle Larson Wins Stage 1
As the teams battled it out throughout the first stage, Miles the Monster struck on the final lap. Chase Briscoe was battling to stay on the lead lap and smacked the outside wall. This brought out the caution and would end Stage 1. Kyle Larson would earn the stage victory. Denny Hamlin finished behind him in 2nd. Ryan Blaney also had a nice stage as he finished in the 3rd position.
Kyle Larson Wins Stage 2
Stage 2 was a stage dominated by Hendrick Motorsports. At the end of the stage, Kyle Larson won his second stage of the day. Chase Elliott finished in 2nd. Following him was the 48 of Alex Bowman. William Byron finished in the 4th position. Hendrick Motorsports finished 1-2-3-4. The only driver to not drive for Hendrick Motorsports in the top 5 was Denny Hamlin.
Alex Bowman Wins Drydene 400
With 99 laps remaining Miles the Monster struck again. Aric Almirola’s nightmare season continued as his right front tire blew and put him in the wall. Almirola was 13th at the time of the incident. This ended his day as he finished in the 37th position. Almirola had the wind knocked out of him and he even needed assistance to the safety truck. Thankfully, he was ok afterward. More trouble struck as Ricky Stenhouse Jr bumped into the back of Anthony Alfredo. This spun Alfredo out and he hit the inside wall on the backstretch.
Hendrick Motorsports dominated all day and it showed in the final results. Alex Bowman won his second race of the year. Kyle Larson dominated all day but he ended up with a 2nd place finish. The defending champion had a nice day as he earned a 3rd place finish. William Byron also had a good day as he finished in 4th. Hendrick Motorsports finished 1-2-3-4 in this race. This has not happened since 2005 when Roush Fenway Racing did it.
Outlook
As the 2021 season rolls along this race showed something fans need to know by now. Hendrick Motorsports is back. All four drivers have run great. Chase Elliott won his title in 2020, Kyle Larson has run well, Bowman won twice and even William Byron has a win in 2021. They have put NASCAR on notice and they are not going anywhere anytime soon.
What’s Next?
Next weekend will be a historic weekend for the NASCAR Cup Series. Next weekend the Cup Series will make its debut at the Circuit of the Americas. This is a new road course that was built a few years ago right in the heart of Texas in Austin. After many months of testing, it will be a weekend to remember.
