Choosing the best NASCAR moment of 2024?
Naturally, the decision is difficult to make.
It is the byproduct of a season that produced the Closest margin of victory in series history and also his Closest three-way battle for a victory.
Three of the eight closest finals in Cup history took place this year, marking the finish line as the starting point for any discussion of the best memories of 24.
MORE: Closest finishes in Cup Series history
When he finished 0.006 seconds ahead of Brad Keselowski in an Oct. 5 victory at Talladega Superspeedway, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. paused before joining his team in jubilation because he was thinking about the two finishes more tight matches at the start of the season.
“Obviously, like the Atlanta race earlier in the year, the Kansas race, I’m just sitting there waiting to celebrate and make sure,” Stenhouse said. “It was way too close for me to call from my seat.”
Five other drivers knew this feeling well this season.
Daniel Suárez edged out Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where the 500 ended on February 25 with 0.003 seconds separating the top three cars.
“I hope the fans enjoyed it; it was a hell of a race,” Blaney said while happily watching a replay. “It’s so close!”
But the May 5 finish at Kansas Speedway was the closest recorded finish in a series spanning nearly 3,000 races over 76 years. Kyle Larson edged out Chris Buescher by 0.001 seconds, but was more impressed with being a part of history than winning by inches.
“I got to the start/finish line, I had no idea if I won or not,” Larson said. “I guess I cared, but honestly, I didn’t care because I was like, ‘Man, that was really great.’ »
Other hustle finishes were more impressive in their timing than in the time they took (although all were narrow).
The 2024 season delivered a record six assists in the final round, and three were as captivating as the three closest:
— Harrison Burton’s out-of-nowhere out-of-nowhere pass Kyle Busch for his first career victory Aug. 24 at Daytona International Speedway.
— Chris Buescher’s deadly duel with Shane van Gisbergen in the final turns on September 15 at Watkins Glen International.
— Tyler Reddick’s third charge ahead of Blaney and Denny Hamlin in the final mile and a half at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Reddick’s win was the race of the year given the stakes (a Championship 4 spot) and the fascinating way the climactic moves played out (while Reddick bravely seized victory, Blaney and Hamlin snuffed out their opportunities ).
Thanks to Racing Insights’ statistical summary of the season, here are a few more of our favorite feel-good things about NASCAR in 2024:
— New (but lots of old) faces in Victory Lane: A record nine drivers ended winless streaks of at least 42 races this past season. Burton was the only first-time winner, so Victory Lane turned into a regular welcome committee.
Stenhouse, Chase Briscoe, Austin Dillon, Alex Bowman, Austin Cindric, Keselowski, Chase Elliott and Suárez celebrated their victories again after absences of more than a full season of racing. And long winless droughts also ended for Ross Chastain (29 races) and Buescher (37 races).
But those lists were surprisingly missing Kyle Busch (who failed to extend his winning streak to 20 and is now 58 races since his last victory) and Ty Gibbs (still looking for his first win after 87 races).
—Veteran Courage: Michael McDowell and Front Row Motorsports enjoyed a memorable seventh and final season together.
Having failed to achieve a pole position in the first 466 career starts, McDowell led the series in qualifying six times this season. The 39-year-old has won poles for five consecutive races at the select circuits (Atlanta, Talladega and Daytona), a testament to the team’s automotive preparation.
Between McDowell and teammate Todd Gilliland, Front Row has led 386 laps in 2024 (from 2005-23, the team’s drivers had led a combined 493 laps).
–A new shine: McDowell will join Spire Motorsports next season (along with teammate Justin Haley and crew chief Rodney Childers), and the organization has laid a strong foundation in its first year as a three-car team.
Rookie Carson Hocevar, who will be Spire’s only driver next year, led the way by finishing 21st in the points standings while often getting pushed aside by his fellow drivers and series officials – encouraging signs of upset of the establishment by testing its limits. The 21-year-old has finished in the top 20 seven times in the playoffs (including a career-high third place at Watkins Glen).
–On the way to sunset: Although he didn’t win in his final full-time season, Martin Truex Jr. said goodbye to the Cup by winning the pole in his final two races – the first time in 19 seasons that he qualified first in consecutive races.
Truex also stayed in the lead during races and led 555 laps, his 10th consecutive season leading at least 500 laps (something only six drivers have done).
MORE: Admiration and respect as MTJ ends full-time career
–Uplifting Tire Tales: Goodyear has quietly made strides in trying to improve racing. Bristol Motor Speedway’s return to concrete for its spring race delivered a surprisingly gripping tire management epic. Although this dynamic could not be replicated, a softer tire in the Round of 16 finale at Martinsville Speedway offered hope for the future of short track racing with four lead changes during the Last 100 rounds.
Other positives: the debut of optional tires in a points race at Richmond Raceway and a spectacular final stint with Rain tires at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Nate Ryan has been writing about NASCAR since 1996 while working at the San Bernardino Sun, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, USA TODAY and for the past 10 years at NBC Sports Digital. He is the host of the NASCAR on NBC Podcast and has also covered various other motorsports, including the IndyCar and IMSA series.
