Some good and not-so-good takeaways from the weekend of racing at Dover International Speedway.
CHECKERED FLAGS
Hendrick Motorsports
It says something about Sunday’s accomplishment that for the first time in the illustrious tenure of Hendrick Motorsports, the organization never had swept the first four positions of a Cup race. Thanks to Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott and William Byron, that stat is now part of Hendrick’s legacy.
Alex Bowman
I certainly did not think Bowman would be the lone driver out of the Hendrick quartet to be the first repeat winner of 2021. But career win number four for Bowman came Sunday with his second victory of the campaign.
William Byron
The Hendrick kudos continue with Byron joining the parade. It’s a well-deserved recognition after his 11th straight top-10 finish, the fourth-longest streak overall for Hendrick Motorsports.
Daniel Suarez
A ninth-place performance Sunday was the second top-10 finish of the year for Suarez. Trackhouse Racing has been a very pleasant first-season surprise to be sure.
Josh Berry
Speaking of pleasant surprises, Berry won his first Xfinity Series race earlier this year and added a $100,000 payday as winner of Saturday’s Dash 4 Cash bonus at Dover. It’s no wonder JR Motorsports management is working hard to find sponsorship to put Berry in more races this year.
BLACK FLAGS
Kyle Larson
It feels weird to give Larson a black flag for leading 263 laps and finishing second. But the stark reality is Sunday’s effort at Dover was yet another example of when Larson has a dominating car but somehow does not wind up in Victory Lane.
Aric Almirola
What a miserable year for Almirola who continues to find bad luck almost on a weekly basis. He was involved in an accident again on Sunday and was credited with a last-place Dover finish.
Kyle Busch
His recent hot streak came to a screeching halt when Busch experienced engine issues early in the race and fell multiple laps down. It ended with a disappointing 27th-place finish.
Martin Truex Jr.
The Dover pole-sitter came in looking to put on another dominating performance like he did the week before in Darlington. Not even close. Truex Jr. was in trouble early and couldn’t rebound for anything better than finishing 19th.
Brandon Jones
His 35th-place finish after getting involved in an accident kept Jones’ recent stretch of tough outings alive. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has finished 33rd or worse in four of the last six races.
