Let’s review the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season and highlight the most memorable moments. This journey will take us through the highs and the lows of the 2024 season, which includes 18 different race winners but only one champion. We will analyze some of the biggest wins, unexpected upsets, the final season for a 19-year career champion, and some heartbreaking losses.
The Championship Chase: A Look Back
The 2018, 2022, and 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Champion, Joey Logano, captured four victories in 2024, including three in the Cup Series Playoffs. The driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford didn’t capture his first win of the 2024 season until May, when he won the non-points race in the 40th annual running of the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Sunday, May 19.
Logano erased his difficult start to the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season by capping off a dominant run with a big victory. He captured the pole, which was determined through a combined session of on-track qualifying and the NASCAR Pit Crew Challenge, and he led all but one of 200 scheduled laps in the event.
“Very proud of the whole team,” Logano said. “This qualifying session is the most fun session of the year. It really takes every crew member all the way through. Everybody’s got to do their part to make it happen and that’s why it means a lot to get an All-Star pole. Obviously, a great starting spot. Get a little momentum booster for our team.”
“How about that, Wilkesboro?! That was awesome!” Logano said. “What an incredible Shell/Pennzoil Mustang. It was so fast. Man, we came here and tested. We ran over 800 laps at the tire test. Paul really put me to work, really figured out what it was going to take to win the race. The boys executed a fantastic stop. Fantastic weekend, great execution. It’s been a while since we’ve won a race. I wish this one counted for points, but a million bucks will work as well…Man, it feels good. Feels great.”
With an average-finishing result of 17.9 and eight results outside the top 20 through 18-scheduled events, Logano turned his luck into good fortunes after surviving through a record-setting five overtime attempts while going 110 laps on low fuel to capture a thrilling victory in the fourth annual running of the Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday, June 30. He started 26 and led the final nine of 331 over-scheduled laps to capture his first Cup Series victory of the 2024 season. This key moment guaranteed him a spot in the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs.
“It’s been a stressful few weeks trying to get into the Playoffs,” Logano said. “Being able to win here is huge for our season. It felt great to get that [win]. Boy, that feels good. I’m out of breath. We had it won off of [Turn] 4 and the caution came out. I was like, ‘Oh my god,’ but you can’t pit, like you kind of got to go for it. Boy, it was close, but we got to give a lot of credit to Roush Yates not only building horsepower, but build a fuel mileage that won today. When I went into [Turn] 3 and saw that [fuel] light [blinking], I was like, ‘Oh no, I’m gonna run out off of [Turn] 4.’ It just stumbled and spit and sputtered across the [finish] line. Trying to make the Playoff’s not easy these days with these Next Gen cars and everyone’s so equally matched. I made a lot of mistakes, even some tonight. It’s nice to be able to overcome. It’s a much-needed win, for sure.”
Logano started the 2024 Playoffs on a high note by winning the Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in overtime on Sunday, September 8 for his second win in 2024. He led nine of the 266 over-scheduled laps in an event where he qualified in seventh place and survived a war of attrition amongst his fellow Playoff and non-Playoff contenders.
“[It was an] Incredible execution from the team,” Logano said. “When it’s Playoff time, it’s out time. That’s what I said. We got to always level up when it comes to Playoff time and [the team] gave me a great AutoTrader Mustang. [The car] was fast all day. We got stuck in the back a little bit. It was hard to get track position back.
“We had a good restart and got towards the front. [I] Had my teammate [Ryan] Blaney behind me. It really helped out in that last lap to be able to make sure [a] Penske car won and ultimately, move on to the next round. Good day for all the Penske cars. Pretty good day today. There’s a lot of memories right here on this start/finish line for me racing Legends cars as a kid, so this is a really cool feeling to be out here in a Cup car again.”
Logano became the first Playoff competitor to clinch a Championship 4 berth after utilizing a late strategic pit call to win the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, October 20th. He started 10th and led the final six of the 267-scheduled laps for his 35th career win in the Cup Series and his third win in 2024.
Ironically, the 2024 season marks the fourth season where Logano has won the Playoff’s Round of 8 opener, with his previous three victories all occurring in even years (2018, 2020 & 2022).
This key moment comes after Logano only became eligible for the Round of 8 after the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, driven by Alex Bowman, was disqualified in the Round of 12 elimination race when his car did not meet minimum weight post-race. Logano advanced to the Playoffs as a result of the disqualification. He was previously 4 points short of transferring to the Round of 8.
“What [an] incredible turn of events here the last week,” Logano, who led the final six laps, said on NBC. “What a very fast Pennzoil Mustang. We’re going to the Championship 4 again! I don’t know what the deal’s [winning here at Vegas] with the even-year thing, but maybe it’s real. Thanks to the fans out here. Thanks to Roush Yates Engines for making great fuel mileage. Great calls by [crew chief] Paul [Wolfe], Nick Hensley, our gas man, making sure [the car]’s full, giving me the good info I need to save fuel and keep the lead that we needed to. Boy, we’re going racing again. What an incredible situation. I’m blessed.”
Logano elevated his driver status to another level and in an elite category of three-time champions in NASCAR’s premier series by claiming a dominant victory in the 2024 finale at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday, November 10. He started second and led twice for 107 of 312 scheduled laps.
Despite teammate Ryan Blaney inching up on him through every turn and straightaway while cutting away his advantage, Logano had enough horsepower to fend off Blaney to win the 2024 finale and claim his third Cup Series championship in seven seasons in the process.
“I love the Playoffs,” Logano said. “I love it, man. What a race. What a Team Penske battle there at the end. [I] Had a good restart and was able to get in front of [Blaney]. He had a lot of long-run speed there. That was all I had there to hold him off. Man, three [championships]. That’s really special to get to [three titles]. What a team to fight through today. We threw a little bit of adversity throughout the race. [Crew chief] Paul Wolfe, I mean, what a crew chief do I have. I got the best team. I don’t know if I’m the best driver, but I got the best team. Together, we’re very well-rounded and can show up when it matters the most. We get a mentally tough team that can make things happen when it matters.”
Logano ended the season with four wins (Ally 400 at Nashville, Quaker State 400 at Atlanta, South Point 400 at Las Vegas, NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix), one non-points win (NASCAR All-Star Race), 13 top-10s, seven top-5s, three poles, and led 414 laps.
Blaney, Byron, and Reddick short of the championship
Ryan Blaney made his second consecutive appearance in the Championship 4 but fell just one spot short of becoming the first repeat champion since Jimmie Johnson won five consecutive titles from 2006 through 2010. Blaney capped off the season with three victories, 18 top-10s, 12 top-5s, one pole, and led 567 laps.
“Yeah, [I’m] just worn out,” Blaney said. “[I] Just couldn’t quite get there. I tried really hard to do so. Just [the last] restart didn’t really work out. [Logano] just got too far away from me and it took me a while to pass a couple guys. [I] Just could never get by Joey and just ran out of time, but congrats to him. Congrats to the No. 22 team and Pennzoil and Ford. They put together a great Playoffs and we’re happy.
“If we’re going to race somebody, I’m happy it was [Logano] for the championship and happy to be one, two for [owner] Roger [Penske]. Three in a row for Roger. Super amazing. On my side, I hate it for Menards,…everybody who really puts a lot of effort into our program. Just super fast. Just didn’t quite have enough there at the end. At least, a Penske car won it, but yeah, heck of a battle. [I] Hope the fans enjoyed it and yeah, hopefully, we come back even stronger next year.”
Making his second consecutive Championship 4 appearance, William Byron capped off his seventh full-time Cup Series campaign with three wins, 21 top-10s, 13 top-5s, one pole, led 357 laps, won the 2024 Daytona 500, and finished third in the final standings.
“We just needed a little bit more,” Byron said. “I felt like we gave it all we had and that’s something to be proud of. We just didn’t have enough to go fight with the Penske guys. [Crew chief] Rudy [Fugle] made a great call. I was really proud of that. That was cool to give us a shot at the front row and ultimately, it netted out better. Just not quite enough, but so proud of this team. It’s been a great year. To make the Championship 4 and win the [Daytona] 500 is awesome. I know what we need to work on and we’ll go at it next year.”
Tyler Reddick made his first Championship 4 appearance. He notched three victories, 21 top-10s, 12 top-5s, three poles, led 597 laps, won the 2024 Cup Series Regular Season, and finished fourth place in the final standings.
“I think we definitely got our [Tame the] Beast Camry better throughout the day,” Reddick added. “[Blaney, Byron, and Logano] were able to pull away over time. It was a good year for us and everyone at 23XI [Racing]. To get to the Championship 4 and have a shot at [the title] was nice. We got to get a little bit better here at Phoenix. Obviously, we’re definitely motivated to do that knowing [the] championship’s sited here. Good year for us. Proud of the effort. It’s a lot to do. All the preparation, all the work that goes into this. It takes everybody. We were close. We were just not quite good enough, unfortunately.”
Larson, Elliott, and Bell had a Great Season
Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, and Christopher Bell were eliminated from the Playoffs at Martinsville Speedway.
Bell and William Byron were battling for the final playoff spot as Bell drove into the final corner, riding against the outside wall. NASCAR officials reviewed the move and determined that Bell had committed a safety violation, which resulted in a penalty.
Despite Bell’s move being similar to the move Ross Chastain made up against the Turns 3 and 4 outside wall to gain spots and make the Championship 4 round in 2022, NASCAR had banned the wall-ride maneuver from competitors before the start of the 2023 season. After a lengthy NASCAR review, Bell was demoted from 18th to 22nd in the final running order, which left him four points out of the Championship 4 field, and Byron advanced.
“I don’t know what to say,” Bell said, “I understand that the rule was made to prevent people from riding the wall, but my move was completely different than what Ross’s [Chastain] was. He explained, adding, “I got loose getting into the corner, and slid right into the fence. I don’t know what else to say.”
But overall, Bell had a great season, with three wins, 23 top-10s, 15 top-5s, three poles, and 1145 laps led.
Larson had a dominating season and captured six wins but came up short in the Playoffs. Larson had 18 top-10s, 15 top-5s, five poles, and led 1700 laps. He won the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, AdventHealth 400, Kansas Speedway, Toyota/Save Mart 350, Sonoma Raceway, Brickyard 400, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Bass Pro Shops Night Race, Bristol Motor Speedway, and the Bank of America Roval 400, Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.
“I’m proud of the effort from this No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevy team. This whole Round of Eight has been a fight, really. From the first stage at Las Vegas (Motor Speedway) on, it’s been a fight. I feel like we made the right pit call to give ourselves the best opportunity. I’m proud of my team; the car, the pit crew, everyone at Hendrick Motorsports. We just didn’t have enough.”
Despite having a great season, Elliott also came up short of making the Playoffs with a second-place finish at Martinsville. Elliott finished the season with one win, 19 top-10s, 11 top-5s, and led 431 laps.
Illustrious 19-year career
Martin Truex Jr. finished 17th in his 693rd and final start as a full-time Cup Series driver. The 2017 Cup Series champion’s No. 19 Bass Pro Shops/Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry XSE entry had a special red throwback scheme that mirrored the scheme Truex had when he made his Cup Series debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway in October 2004. He captured his 25th and final pole position with a lap of 134.741 mph in 26.718 seconds during qualifying at Phoenix.
Truex led 555 laps, only the sixth driver in history to accomplish this feat. He also notched a total of five top-five results and 11 top-10 results with an average finish of 17.4, which was enough for him to settle in 10th place in the final championship standings in 2024.
Truex Jr. was left with mixed reactions in his final event as a full-time competitor in NASCAR’s premier series. Amid the disappointment, Truex, who received a standing ovation during the pre-race drivers meeting before the finale, was praised and greeted on pit road by NBA legend/23XI Racing co-owner Michael Jordan and four-time Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon.
“It means a lot,” Truex added. “To have the respect of guys like that and what they mean to the sport and absolute legends. It makes me feel good that I’ve earned that respect over the years. It means a lot.”
Truex capped off an illustrious 19-year career in NASCAR’s premier series, where he achieved the 2017 championship, 34 race victories, 25 poles, 147 top-five results, 291 top-10 results, 12,747 laps led, 11 Playoff appearances, and an average-finishing result of 15.3 through 693 starts. Truex made his mark throughout his Cup Series career with organizations such as Dale Earnhardt Inc., Chip Ganassi Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing, Furniture Row Racing, and Joe Gibbs Racing.
In addition to winning the 2017 Cup Series championship, Truex, a two-time champion in the Xfinity Series, departs from full-time Cup competition with notable accomplishments that include capturing two Coca-Cola 600s, the 2016 Southern 500, and the 2023 Busch Light Clash victory. Named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023, Truex is among 40 drivers to win across NASCAR’s top three national touring series.
Rookie-of-the-Year
Carson Hocevar claimed the 2024 Sunoco Rookie-of-the-Year title in his first Cup Series season and finished in 21st place in the Cup Series driver standings while driving the Spire Motorsports No. 77 Chevrolet. He had six top-10s, one top-5, and led 16 laps during the 2024 season.
“So to be the highest finishing Spire car ever for their tenure — I think their highest ever is 26th — that’s what I’m probably most proud of is 21st is really good, I thought. Twentieth was about where I really wanted to be. To be really close there is really important. But Rookie of the Year is obviously the only thing you can’t win (later), and I missed out on it my truck year and obviously didn’t run Xfinity, so ideally it’s the last time I can really do it unless I somehow end up back in Xfinity. But yeah, happy to at least have a Rookie of the Year something in my NASCAR tenure.” Hocevar said.
Most Popular Driver Award
Chase Elliott won the NASCAR Cup Series Most Popular Driver Award for the seventh year in a row. The National Motorsports Press Association announced the 2024 Most Popular Driver Awards at the NASCAR Awards Banquet at the Charlotte Convention Center, that is based on a fan vote.
“Thank you to the fans,” Elliott said during the awards banquet. “The fans have meant so much to myself, my career, my family and beyond. When I look at that award, regardless whether I won it tonight or not, I’m grateful for the fans across the country and around the world for what they do for me, but I’ve always looked at it as a little bit of just an opportunity to honor and appreciate the legacy that my family has really set up for me. I think at the end of the day, I’ve always just tried to carry myself and represent that as they would want me to and try to make them proud.”
Only Elliott or Earnhardt drivers have received the NASCAR Cup Series Most Popular Driver Award since 1991.
Finishing Strong, Moves, and New Beginnings
Chris Buescher finished ninth at Phoenix and emerged as the highest non-Playoff contender in the standings, in 17th place. Driving the No. 17 RFK Racing Ford Mustang, he captured his sixth Cup Series win in September at Watkins Glen International. He finished the season with 15 top-10s, six top-5s, and led 208 laps.
Michael McDowell finished 31st in his final event with Front Row Motorsports. In 2025, he will join Spire Motorsports to drive the No. 71 Chevrolet.
Harrison Burton will join AM Racing next season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He will return to the Xfinity series after three seasons in the Cup Series with Wood Brothers Racing. He captured his first premier series victory at Daytona International Speedway and his first playoff berth.
“I’m excited to join AM Racing and help build it into the race-winning race team I believe it can and will be,” said Burton. “I think this will be a great opportunity for me to take the things I’ve learned in the Cup Series, bring those to the Xfinity Series, and be the best driver I can be.
Riley Herbst will join 23XI Racing for his first Cup campaign in 2025. Herbst, a 25-year-old racer from Las Vegas, Nevada, will drive the No. 35 Toyota Camry XSE entry sponsored by longtime partner Monster Energy. He will compete alongside Tyler Reddick, driver of the No. 45 Toyota, and Bubba Wallace, driver of the No. 23 Toyota.
“It’s an honor to join 23XI and Toyota for the opportunity to race in the Cup Series each week,” Herbst said. “Racing full-time in the Cup Series has been my goal since I started in NASCAR, and I’m excited to start my Cup career with such an accomplished and driven team. What 23XI has accomplished in a short time is impressive, and I look forward to building on their success as the organization grows. It’s also great to continue representing Monster and I’m excited about adding to their legacy in NASCAR.”
Looking Forward to 2025
Kyle Busch concluded a Cup Series season winless for the first time in his Cup Series career. He has captured at least one win per season in the sport’s top level in 19 consecutive seasons, an all-time series record that ended in 2024.
The 2015 and 2019 Cup Series champion finished the 2024 season with ten top-10s, five top-5s, one pole, and led 229 laps in the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.
“Certainly frustrating,” Busch said during Championship Weekend at Phoenix Raceway. “Just not at all what we had hoped it to be after some success last year, especially early in the year, and having those three wins, and then struggling a little bit on and off, but then this year, just seemingly not being able to get the monkey off our back.”
NASCAR will return for the 2025 season with an exhibition race at Bowman Gray Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 2 at 8 p.m. ET.
