Six years before Alex Bowman is scheduled to make one final May visit to Dover Motor Speedway as a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver, he helped make history at The Monster Mile.
On May 16, 2021, Bowman led a Hendrick Motorsports sweep of the top four finishing positions at Dover, taking the checkered flag ahead of teammates Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott and William Byron in one of the most dominant team performances in NASCAR Cup Series history.
The victory was Bowman's second of the 2021 season and fourth of his Cup Series career, but for much of the afternoon, it appeared another Hendrick driver was destined for Victory Lane.
Larson dominated the 400-lap race, leading 263 of the first 303 laps and winning both stages. At one point, Larson had built an eight-second advantage over the field as Hendrick Motorsports established itself as the team to beat.
Then came the pit stop that changed the race.
During a caution with less than 100 laps remaining, Bowman's No. 48 crew delivered what was then the fastest four-tire pit stop of the 2021 Cup Series season. Bowman beat Larson off pit road and assumed the lead for the ensuing restart.
He never gave it back.
Bowman held off Larson through two more restarts before pulling away to win by 2.017 seconds, leading the final 98 laps on his way to Victory Lane.
“You guys won that race not me,” Bowman told his team after taking the checkered flag. “I’m so proud of you.”
The victory also continued the remarkable history of the No. 48 at Dover. Jimmie Johnson had driven the number to a track-record 11 Cup Series victories at The Monster Mile before retiring from full-time competition following the 2020 season. In Bowman's first season behind the wheel of the No. 48, he immediately put it back in Dover Victory Lane.
“I'm just so pumped for Ally,” Bowman said following the victory. “It feels right to put the 48 back in Victory Lane here after how many races that this car has won here.”
Bowman's victory was only part of the history made that afternoon.
Larson finished second, Elliott third and Byron fourth, giving Hendrick Motorsports the first 1-2-3-4 finish in the organization's history. At the time, Hendrick became just the third organization in NASCAR Cup Series history to sweep the top four positions in a race.
The four Hendrick Chevrolets left little for anyone else that afternoon. Bowman, Larson and Byron combined to lead 381 of the race's 400 laps.
Even team owner Rick Hendrick admitted the closing laps were difficult to watch.
“I can guarantee you this is the most nervous I’ve ever been in a race,” Hendrick said afterward. “Great day for the organization. And Alex, congratulations to him. This is a sign of the guys working together and bringing good stuff to the track.”
Six years later, the date on the calendar will look awfully familiar.
The NASCAR Cup Series returns to Dover Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 16, 2027, exactly six years after Bowman's historic victory. The 400-mile race will mark NASCAR's return to a traditional points-paying Cup Series event at The Monster Mile following the 2026 NASCAR All-Star Race.
For Bowman, the return carries even more significance.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver announced in July that he will retire from full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition following the 2027 season, bringing his full-time career to a close after a decade with Hendrick Motorsports.
That makes May 16, 2027, Bowman's final scheduled opportunity as a full-time Cup Series driver to win again at the track where he and Hendrick Motorsports produced one of the most dominant afternoons in their respective histories.
Six years to the day after Bowman put the No. 48 back in Victory Lane and led his teammates to a historic sweep, he'll have another chance to tame Miles the Monster®.
Get your tickets now for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 16, 2027, and be there as Bowman makes one final run at The Monster Mile.
