Fans returning to Dover get COVID-19 vaccine, watch Alex Bowman dominate NASCAR race

DOVER – The statue of Miles the Monster had a big red mask covering his nose and mouth, showing proper masking etiquette as he menacingly held a race car in his right hand.

But Miles the Monster could have shed the mask had he just shuffled about 20 yards over to his right to the walk-up vaccination tent at Dover International Speedway. Then he could have gotten the one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, gone inside the grandstand to watch the Drydene 400.

If he did, he would have seen Alex Bowman lead the last 96 laps race to win after Kyle Larson had dominated most of the first 300 laps.

MESSAGE FOR MILES?:Are Eagles sending Miles Sanders a message by drafting Gainwell, adding Kerryon Johnson?

NEW QB, SAME QUESTION:Why won't Eagles commit to Jalen Hurts as starting quarterback?

Bowman did it in the No. 48 car that Jimmie Johnson rode to Victory Lane 11 times at Dover International Speedway, the most of any driver.

"This is another really good place for us," Bowman said. "It feels right to put the No. 48 back in Victory Lane here after how many races that this car has won here."

In fact, it was a dominant day for Bowman's team, Hendrick Motorsports, as a whole. The team took the top four places at Dover, the first time a team took the top four spots in a race since Roush Fenway Racing did it in 2005.

There was a sellout of about 20,000 fans, or what was allowed by COVID-19 guidelines, in attendance on a sun-splashed afternoon. That was nearly 40% of the capacity of about 54,000. NASCAR doesn't release official attendance figures.

Still, the total Sunday represents, by far, the largest gathering of people in Delaware since either Firefly in June of 2019 or a University of Delaware football game from that fall.

And the lure of a vaccine made it even more enjoyable for those who stopped by the tent.

"I was coming to the race anyway, so I figured I’d get the shot," Philadelphia resident Scott Keenan said. "I wasn’t going to take off work to get the vaccine, and this was easy."

The COVID-19 vaccine, of course, was only part of the festivities Sunday, especially for Bowman, who won for the second time this season and fourth time in his career.

Bowman, in fact, said he texted Johnson before a race here a few years ago because he was struggling at Dover, both before and joining Hendrick Motorsports.

"I asked him what he does, how he approaches this place, what kind of lines he runs," Bowman said. "I just stuck to that, and tried to run like Jimmie did, run the Jimmie Johnson line, and just be tight against the black, be super disciplined, super patient.

"We’ve been good here ever since. So to win here with the 48 car is special, and to do it with tips that Jimmie taught me is pretty cool."

The fans seemed to think so as well. The grandstand along the main straightaway was mostly full, with more spacing in the stands along Turns 1 and 4.

Few fans were wearing masks after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced last week that those who have had vaccines can go maskless outdoors. The state of Delaware will lift its mask mandate this Friday, although vaccinated Delawareans should still wear masks in businesses or public indoor settings or in crowded outdoor settings until then.

The speedway certainly qualified as a crowded outdoor setting as fans walked along Victory Plaza, visiting the merchandise haulers and sitting fairly close together in the grandstand. 

For many it was another sign of a return of normalcy after a pandemic that has lasted for 16 months and claimed nearly 600,000 lives in the United States.

"It felt close to normal, so I was definitely glad to hear the crowd yelling and screaming before the race and afterwards too," Larson said. "Things are starting to feel like they’re getting back to normal. I think we all love not having to wear masks throughout the garage area when we're outside.

"So it’s getting normal again and we’re getting the fans back, which is great."

It was quite a change from the races held at Dover last year. The spring race in 2020 was postponed due to the pandemic and held the same weekend as the second race last August. No fans were allowed that weekend.

But more and more tracks around the country are expecting to be allowed to have full capacity in the coming weeks. That is expected to be the case for the race at Nashville Superspeedway on June 20.

That track is owned by Dover Motorsports. As a result, Nashville is holding what would have been the second Dover race. It's the first time there won't be two Cup Series races at Dover International Speedway since 1970.

Still, one race was better than none. For Keenan, this was his first sporting event since before the pandemic.

"I love the atmosphere. I love the races," Keenan said. "And to get the vaccine, this is just a bonus. I couldn’t wait to finally be able to get out and go somewhere."

And for New Jersey resident Dan Engel from Forked River, New Jersey, it was that return of normalcy that drew him to Dover for the race.

He admitted that he wasn't planning on getting the vaccine. Then he noticed that Dover was providing the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which meant that he only needed the one shot.

"It’s nice to be back out at a sporting event," Engel said. "I just decided to go ahead and get the shot."

The vaccination tent was equipped with 500 shots for Saturday's Xfinity race, the Drydene 200, and Sunday's race. Diane Hainsworth of the Delaware Division of Public Health said about 100 people got the shot on Sunday, which was more than the number who got it on Saturday.

"Every opportunity we can get to get vaccines in arms, that’s what’s important," she said. "A lot of people are hearing that they can go maskless if they’ve been fully vaccinated, so that seems to be bringing people in.

"It’s real quick, in and out, and then they can enjoy a beautiful day at the race."

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.