It last hit a record on January 11, 1973 when the average closed at 1,051.70.
The average closed at 2,945.05, which is less than 55 points from the magical 3,000.
The average closed at a new high of 3,615.48, its fourth in a row.
Of the 30 stocks in the Dow, four are now at least 10 percent higher than they were when the average first closed over 3,000.
The average closed yesterday at 8,366.04, down 66.17 points, or 0.78 percent.
The Dow average closed up 2.23 points, to 3,282.42, another record high.
The average closed at 2,935.89, up 73.51 points for the week and just ahead of its record close of 2,935.19 on June 4.
The industrial average closed at 2,145.67, one day after suffering its first setback of 1987.
Yesterday, the Dow average closed down 99.65 points, or 1.26 percent, at 7,802.62.
On March 29, 1999, the average closed above the 10,000 mark (10,006.78) after flirting with it for two weeks.