Honestly, if you just looked at the final standings from last year without watching a single lap, you'd be pretty confused. You'd see Joey Logano holding the big trophy and think he dominated the whole way.
He didn't. Not even close, really.
The 2024 NASCAR race results are some of the most lopsided in recent memory if you compare "who was fastest" versus "who won the championship." We watched Kyle Larson win six races—the most of anyone—and he didn't even make the final four. Then you have Tyler Reddick, who was basically a human highlight reel for 23XI Racing, grabbing the Regular Season Championship only to watch the title slip away in the desert.
What Really Happened With the 2024 NASCAR Race Results
The season started with a rain-delayed Daytona 500 that felt like it would never end. When the sun finally came out on Monday, William Byron dodged a massive late-race wreck to give Hendrick Motorsports a win on the 40th anniversary of their first ever start. It was poetic, sure. But it set a trend of "survive and advance" that defined the entire year.
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The Spring of Three-Wide Finishes
Before we got deep into the summer heat, we saw the closest finish in the history of the sport. At Kansas, Kyle Larson beat Chris Buescher by 0.001 seconds.
One. Millisecond.
You can’t even blink that fast. It took the high-speed cameras and about five minutes of official review to realize Buescher’s nose was just a fraction of an inch behind Larson's. Earlier in the year at Atlanta, Daniel Suárez won a three-wide photo finish that looked more like a choreographed movie scene than a real race. These early 2024 NASCAR race results suggested we were in for a year of pure chaos, and the schedule delivered.
The Joey Logano "Playoff Specialist" Mastery
Let's talk about the elephant in the room. Joey Logano entered the playoffs with one of the lowest average finishes for an eventual champion in the history of the sport. Seriously, he was averaging around 17th or 18th place for most of the summer. But the No. 22 Team Penske Ford knows how to play the game.
Logano won the first race of the playoffs at Atlanta, which basically gave him a "get out of jail free" card for the rest of the round. Then, after nearly being eliminated at the Charlotte Roval, he got a second chance when Alex Bowman’s car was disqualified for being underweight. Logano didn't waste the opportunity. He went out and won Las Vegas to punch his ticket to the Championship 4 before anyone else even had their bags packed.
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The Phoenix Showdown
By the time we got to the finale in Phoenix on November 10, it was a four-way battle:
- Joey Logano (The veteran strategist)
- Ryan Blaney (The defending champ)
- William Byron (The most consistent all-year)
- Tyler Reddick (The raw speed king)
Logano nailed a restart with 54 laps to go, jumping from sixth to the lead in about half a mile. Blaney was faster at the end—significantly faster—but Logano is the widest car in the business. He held him off by 0.330 seconds.
The Richmond Controversy and the Asterisk
You can't talk about the 2024 NASCAR race results without mentioning Austin Dillon at Richmond. In August, Dillon was heading toward a win when he literally cleaned out Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin in the final corner.
He crossed the line first. He got the trophy. But NASCAR did something they almost never do: they let him keep the win but stripped away the playoff eligibility that came with it. It was a "win but don't count it" situation that sparked weeks of debate about "The Line" and what is acceptable in stock car racing. Honestly, it was kind of a mess for the sport's image, but it made for great TV.
Key Stats from the 2024 Season
- Kyle Larson led the series with 6 wins.
- Chevrolet took the Manufacturer's Championship with 15 total victories.
- Harrison Burton grabbed a shocking 100th win for Wood Brothers Racing at Daytona in August.
- Martin Truex Jr. finished his final full-time season without a win, a heartbreaking end for a legend.
Why These Results Still Matter
If you're looking at these numbers to predict 2025 or 2026, the biggest takeaway is that "fast" doesn't mean "champion." The current playoff format rewards teams that can peak at the exact right moment.
Penske has now won three straight titles (Logano in '22, Blaney in '23, Logano in '24). They haven't had the fastest cars most weeks. Hendrick and 23XI have been faster. But Penske executes better when the pressure is highest.
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Actionable Insights for Fans and Bettors
If you're following the sport closely, stop looking at "Average Finish" as the primary metric for success. In the Next Gen era, track position and pit strategy during the final 50 laps are worth more than 300 laps of dominance.
Next Steps for Your NASCAR Fix:
- Check the 2025 schedule for the return to Bowman Gray Stadium—it’s going to be a nostalgic bloodbath.
- Watch the "Full Speed" docuseries on Netflix to see the behind-the-scenes stress of the 2024 playoffs.
- Follow the tire wear developments; the races at Bristol and Richmond showed that when the tires actually wear out, the racing gets ten times better.
The 2024 NASCAR race results proved that the sport is in a weird, transitional, but exciting place. We’re seeing more parity than ever, even if it means some of the "best" drivers end up empty-handed at the end of the year.