This is the first season without Kevin Harvick since 2000, as he retired after the 2023 season and joined the NASCAR on Fox broadcast booth in 2024,[1] and the first season since 2011 without Aric Almirola, who stepped away from racing full-time after the 2023 season. In addition, this will be the last season for NASCAR's current TV rights deal, which began in 2015.[2] This will also be the last season for Stewart–Haas Racing, as the team announced that they would be shutting down operations at season’s end.[3]
↑ Justin Allgaier ran the Coca Cola 600 in place of Kyle Larson, who ran the Indianapolis 500 the same day. Larson was originally supposed to get in the car, but the race was called before he officially took over.
↑ On April 2, RCR announced that Justin Alexander would replace Rodden as the crew chief of the No. 3 car for the remainder of the 2024 season.[22]
↑ On April 20, Team Penske announced that Palmer would substitute for Hassler as the crew chief of the No. 12 car, as Hassler's wife was expected to give birth soon.[52]
↑ On April 28, Legacy Motor Club announced that Cohen would substitute for Elenz as the crew chief of the No. 43 car, as Elenz had to attend to a personal matter.
↑ Bryan Berry started the Las Vegas race weekend as crew chief of the No. 44 car but was ejected after the car failed pre-qualifying inspection too many times. It is unclear who filled in for him as interim crew chief in the race.[75]
↑ It was initially announced that Jimmie Johnson would be participating in the championship race at Phoenix Raceway. However, a subsequent announcement revealed that he would instead be present in the NBC booth.
In 2023, it was announced that The Money Team Racing would run five to eight races in 2024. They reportedly planned to participate in the 2024 Daytona 500, but did not attempt the race.[100] The team would undergo an ownership change, being renamed to Team AmeriVet, with the Coca-Cola 600 being the first race the team attempted after the changes.[82]
Drivers
AJ Allmendinger returned to the NASCAR Xfinity Series full time after running a full time season in the Kaulig Racing 16 car. The 16 car now returns to full time car with multiple drivers running it.
Noah Gragson was removed from Legacy Motor Club mid way through the 2023 season. The team fielded multiple drivers in the 42 car to round off the season before fully replacing Gragson with John Hunter Nemechek.
Smithfield Foods announced that it will not return to NASCAR as a sponsor in 2024, after Aric Almirola announced his retirement from full-time competition. Smithfield sponsored Almirola from 2012 to 2023, as he drove the No. 43 for Richard Petty Motorsports and the No. 10 for Stewart–Haas Racing.[105]
Hunt Brothers Pizza signed a multi-year deal to serve as sponsor of the Team Penske No. 22 of Joey Logano, starting in 2024. The pizza chain will also act as an associate sponsor for the No. 12 of Ryan Blaney.[108] Hunt Brothers previously sponsored the Stewart–Haas Racing No. 4 of Kevin Harvick, who retired at the end of the 2023 season.
The United States Air Force signed a deal to sponsor the 23XI Racing No. 23 of Bubba Wallace for several races in 2024. The USAF previously sponsored Wallace when he drove the Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 from 2018 to 2020.[110]
In 2022, 3F Racing announced that they hope to run the full season with their No. 30 car in the Cup Series in 2024 after debuting in the series part-time in 2023. The team ultimately did not enter any Cup Series races in 2023.[119] On July 18, 2023, the team announced that Xfinity and Truck Series driver Ryan Vargas would be their Director of Team and Driver Development as well as a reserve driver for them when they debut in the Cup Series.[120] On November 5, Frontstretch reporter Jared Haas spoke to the team's owners at the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race and they indicated that 3F could debut in the Cup Series in 2024 and run eight to ten races if they are able to find sponsorship.[121] The team did make their debut in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series in 2023.[122]
In 2023, it was announced that Erebus Motorsport planned to enter the Cup Series for five races in 2024, including an oval race with Brodie Kostecki in collaboration with Richard Childress Racing.[123][124] Due to ongoing contract controversy between Erebus and Kostecki, it is unknown whether or not Erebus Motorsport will still race in the Cup Series or with a different driver.[125]Paul Morris, Kostecki's long–time mentor, later confirmed that the planned races, Sonoma and Chicago being two of the likely races, had been axed.[126]
Drivers
On March 11, 2024, Matt Jaskol revealed that he is planning on making his Cup Series debut at the Circuit of the Americas with MBM Motorsports, whom he had previously driven for in the Xfinity Series in 2021 and 2022, but that they would need sponsorship in order to participate in the race.[127] A couple hours before it was announced that Timmy Hill would drive the car, Jaskol stated that he had failed to find sponsorship in time for the race, but that he was still planning on making a start with MBM later this season.[128]
Rule changes
Cup Series cars will run a new aero package at all road courses and tracks measuring one mile or shorter (except Bristol Motor Speedway and Dover Motor Speedway). The package consists of a three-inch spoiler, a simplified diffuser and diffuser strakes, the 2023-spec short track/road course splitter stuffers, and no engine panel strakes.[129]
All road/street courses in 2024 will have stage-break cautions.[130]
Schedule
The 2024 schedule was released on October 4, 2023 and consists of 31 oval races, 4 road course races, one street track race, and 4 non-championship races to be held on ovals.[131]
Notes: Race names and title sponsors are subject to change. Not all title sponsors/names of races have been announced for 2024. For the races where a 2024 name and title sponsor has yet to be announced, the title sponsors/names of those races in 2023 are listed.
↑ Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum was brought forward from Sunday, February 4 to Saturday, February 3 due to anticipated severe weather.[133] Television broadcasting of the race was switched from Fox to FS1 due to this rescheduling.[131]
↑ The Daytona 500 was postponed from Sunday, February 18 to Monday, February 19 due to rain.[134]
Bolded races indicate an event generally known as a Crown Jewel race.
O Oval track R Road course S Street course
Confirmed schedule changes
On November 6, 2022, it was confirmed that 2023 would be the last race on Auto Club Speedway's 2-mile configuration.[138] The track is scheduled to be reconfigured into a short track in the coming years and will not be on the 2024 schedule while it is under construction.
On September 15, 2023, Bristol Motor Speedway announced that the spring Bristol race would return to being run on concrete, after the race taken place of dirt the prior three seasons. In the same press release, it was confirmed that Bristol will continue having two race dates; the spring race reverted back to its old Food City 500 name due to the return to concrete.[139]
On October 2, 2023, Fox Sports and The Athletic reported that Iowa Speedway was expected to receive a NASCAR Cup Series race in 2024, replacing the race at Auto Club Speedway.[141] A press conference by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds was held on October 3, where she and NASCAR officially announced the inaugural Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway on June 16.[142]
NASCAR was rumored to potentially return to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, with the track hosting a Cup Series race for the first time in 2024. The race would have been the first international Cup Series race since the 1958 season.[143] On October 2, 2023, it was reported by Fox Sports and The Athletic that this deal fell through.[141]
The Busch Clash was moved from Sunday, February 4 to Saturday, February 3 in advance of the February 2024 California atmospheric rivers. This resulted in the cancellation of scheduled heat races, as the event was condensed into a one-day practice, qualifying, and race event. Denny Hamlin took the pole for the 23-car field, with notable drivers such as Daniel Suárez, Austin Dillon, Austin Cindric, and Christopher Bell failing to qualify for the 150-lap event. Hamlin led most of the first 50 laps before yielding the lead to Ty Gibbs on lap 50. Gibbs led 84 of the next 91 laps, as Justin Haley, Chase Elliott, and Todd Gilliland all failed to finish due to mechanical issues. Hamlin reclaimed the lead on a restart with ten laps remaining as Gibbs fell back through the field. Gibbs spun with two laps remaining, ultimately finishing 18th. Hamlin held off on the final restart to win.[144]
In the Bluegreen Vacation Duels, Logano started on the pole for Duel 1 while McDowell started on the pole for Duel 2. Tyler Reddick won the first duel while Christopher Bell won the second duel.[145]
Joey Logano started on the pole. Christopher Bell and Chris Buescher both hit the wall after a flat tire, with Buescher exiting the race due to the wheel coming off his car. Kyle Larson dominated the race by leading the most laps. Larson also won both stages and secured the victory by holding off a charging Tyler Reddick.[148]
Ryan Blaney won the pole. The race was plagued by extreme tire wear. Ty Gibbs dominated the first half of the race and won both stages. The race saw 54 lead changes, the most for a short-track race in Cup Series history. Kyle Busch spun twice with a flat tire. Gibbs was heading to the win until the lapped car of Todd Gilliland slowed down and caused Gibbs and teammate Christopher Bell to lose multiple spots. Denny Hamlin dominated the second half of the race and led the most laps. Hamlin and teammate Martin Truex Jr. stayed out front after the final round of green-flag pit stops and saved their tires. Hamlin was able to hold off Truex for the win, followed by Brad Keselowski, Alex Bowman, and Kyle Larson, marking the first time since the 2004 MBNA America 400 at Dover that a race ended with 5 or fewer cars on the lead lap.[150]
Kyle Larson won the pole. The race started on weather tires due to the track still being wet from rain. Larson won the first stage while Martin Truex Jr. won the second stage. Kyle Busch got into the wall after a flat tire. Truex was heading to the win until Larson spun after contact with Bubba Wallace, bringing out the caution and sending the race into overtime. Denny Hamlin won the race off pit road and held off Joey Logano and Truex for his second win of the season.[152]
Kyle Larson won the pole for the second straight race. Larson dominated early and won the first stage. Christopher Bell got a flat tire, bringing the caution out for debris. Joey Logano took two tires and held on to the lead, but started falling back as Denny Hamlin won the second stage. Hamlin and Chase Elliott took turns leading the race, but William Byron pitted a lap before everyone else on the final round of green flag pit stops. John Hunter Nemechek blew a tire and caught fire, sending the race to overtime. On the restart, Byron held the lead and scored his third win of the season.[153]
Kyle Larson won the pole for the third straight race. Larson won the first stage while Ross Chastain won the second stage. Christopher Bell spun into the wall, causing Alex Bowman to spin after contact with John Hunter Nemechek. Michael McDowell spun into the wall while battling Chastain for the lead. On a restart, Harrison Burton made a three wide pass for the lead on Bubba Wallace and Chase Briscoe, which sent the latter two spinning after contact with one another. Ryan Blaney spun into the wall. On a restart, Larson spun which sent the race to overtime. On the first attempt, Denny Hamlin spun while battling Chase Elliott for the lead. On the second attempt, Burton and Kaz Grala spun after contact. On the restart, Chastain got into the wall after contact with William Byron on the final lap as Elliott won under caution for his first win in 42 races.[154]
Michael McDowell started on pole for the second time in his career. Austin Cindric narrowly beat Chase Elliott by inches to win Stage 1, while Joey Logano won Stage 2. The race was incident-free until lap 132 when Christopher Bell crashed out on the backstretch, collecting Justin Haley, Chase Briscoe, and Zane Smith. On lap 151, the Toyota drivers were drafting alone as part of a pit strategy when Erik Jones lost control and hit the outside wall head-on in turn 3, collecting Bubba Wallace, John Hunter Nemechek, and Denny Hamlin, which claimed four of the six Toyotas in the draft. McDowell held onto the lead in the closing laps of the race until the last lap when Brad Keselowski attempted a crossover move from second. McDowell got loose while blocking and wrecked on the tri-oval, triggering "The Big One", which caused Corey LaJoie to flip upside-down. Tyler Reddick evaded the wreck and made a three-wide pass on Keselowski and Noah Gragson to score the win.[155]
Tyler Reddick won the pole. Kyle Larson won the first stage while Reddick won the second stage. John Hunter Nemechek spun after two flat tires. On a restart, Ryan Blaney got into the wall after William Byron made contact with Martin Truex Jr. Late in the race, Reddick and Brad Keselowski made contact battling for the lead allowing Chris Buescher to make a three-wide pass for the lead. With 10 laps to go, Buescher and Reddick made contact battling for the lead causing both flat tires on both cars taking both to pit road as Keselowski retook the lead and held off Ty Gibbs and Josh Berry for the win, his first win as an owner/driver (the first since Tony Stewart in 2016), the first win of 2024 for Ford, and snapped a 110-race winless streak, the longest drought of his career.[158]
In The Open, Ty Gibbs started on pole for the 2nd straight time. In the end, Gibbs led all 100 laps and won the Open and advanced to the All-Star Race with runner-up Bubba Wallace and Noah Gragson, who won the fan vote for the second year in a row.
In the All-Star Race, Joey Logano started on pole. Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. made contact on Lap 2 and Busch spun Stenhouse into the wall, taking Stenhouse out of the race and Stenhouse left his damaged car in Busch's pit box. Logano dominated by leading all but one lap and held off Denny Hamlin to win the $1 million for his second All-Star Race win. Busch and Stenhouse got into a brawl by the haulers and the melee caused crew member suspensions and Stenhouse was fined $75,000 for striking Busch.[159][160]
Eventual race winner Christopher Bell leads during the third stage at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May
Ty Gibbs won the pole. William Byron took the first stage and Christopher Bell won the second stage. Noah Gragson spun and slammed into the wall after contact with Ricky Stenhouse Jr.Justin Allgaier, filling in for Kyle Larson who was running the Indianapolis 500, got up to 13th position when a caution came out. Larson arrived in Charlotte during the caution, but was unable to race as the race was red flagged due to rain and lightning and race was called after 249 laps as NASCAR tried to dry the track for over an hour but was not making enough progress to get the race restarted at a reasonable hour, so Bell was given his second win of the season.[161]
Michael McDowell started on the pole. Christopher Bell swept the stages. Josh Berry slammed into the wall after his left front tire became flat. Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson got into the wall after making contact taking Busch, the defending race winner, out of the race. Ryan Blaney and Bell battled for the lead until Bell began having engine issues and fell back. Blaney would run out of fuel at the white flag and his teammate Austin Cindric took the lead and won the race, his second career win and breaking a 85-race winless streak, dating back to the 2022 Daytona 500.[162]
(key)Bold– Pole position awarded by time. Italics– Pole position set by final practice results or owner's points. *– Most laps led. 1– Stage 1 winner. 2– Stage 2 winner. 3– Stage 3 winner.[N 1]
† – Kyle Larson originally qualified for the race, but was replaced before the start of the race to compete in the Indianapolis 500, and was replaced by Justin Allgaier.
The Pala Casino 400 was a 400-mile (643.737 km) NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. It was the second race of the Cup Series season and had been since 2022 as well as from 2005 to 2010.
Aric Michael Almirola is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the Nos. 19 and 20 Toyota Supras for Joe Gibbs Racing and the No. 16 Toyota Tundra for Hattori Racing Enterprises in the NASCAR Truck Series. Almirola previously competed full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series as well as what are now the ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East and ARCA Menards Series West.
Joseph Thomas Logano is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 22 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Team Penske. He previously competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, as well as what is now the ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East and ARCA Menards Series West.
Alexander Michael Warren Bowman is an American professional stock car racing driver and team owner. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports and part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 17 Chevrolet Camaro for the same team. He owns a Dirt Midget and Sprint car racing team Alex Bowman Racing. He is known for a record six consecutive front-row starts in the Daytona 500, from 2018 to 2023, winning the pole in 2018, 2021, and 2023.
The 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series was the 69th season of professional stock car racing in the United States, and the 46th modern-era Cup series season. The season began at Daytona International Speedway with the Advance Auto Parts Clash, the Can-Am Duel qualifying races and the 59th running of the Daytona 500. The season ended with the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Jimmie Johnson entered the season as the defending champion, having won his record-tying seventh Cup championship that he shares with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. Martin Truex Jr. of Furniture Row Racing won the championship, his first in the series. Toyota won the Manufacturers' Championship for the second year in a row.
The 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series was the 70th season of NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States, and the 47th modern-era Cup series season. The season began at Daytona International Speedway with the Advance Auto Parts Clash, the Can-Am Duel qualifying races and the 60th running of the Daytona 500. The regular season ended with the Brickyard 400 on September 9, 2018. The playoffs ended with the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 18, 2018. Martin Truex Jr. was the defending champion, having won his first in the series.
The 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series was the 71st season of NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States, and the 48th modern-era Cup series season. The season began at Daytona International Speedway with the Advance Auto Parts Clash, the Gander RV Duel qualifying races and the 61st running of the Daytona 500. The regular season ended with the Brickyard 400 in September. The playoffs ended with the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead–Miami Speedway on November 17, 2019. Joey Logano of Team Penske entered as the defending series champion.
The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series was the 72nd season for NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 49th season for the modern era Cup Series. The season began at Daytona International Speedway with the Busch Clash, the Bluegreen Vacations Duel qualifying races, and the 62nd running of the Daytona 500. The regular season ended with the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona on August 29. The NASCAR playoffs ended with the Season Finale 500, the first finale at Phoenix Raceway on November 8.
Spire Motorsports is an American auto racing organization competing in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The team is a subsidiary of Spire Sports + Entertainment. In the Cup Series, the team currently fields three Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 teams: the No. 7 for Corey LaJoie, the No. 71 for Zane Smith in a partnership with Trackhouse Racing, and the No. 77 for Carson Hocevar. In the Truck Series, the team fields three Chevrolet Silverados: the No. 7 for multiple drivers, the No. 71 for Rajah Caruth, and the No. 77 for Chase Purdy. They have also competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in the past.
The NASCAR operation of the racing team Team Penske is a unit based in Mooresville, North Carolina, US. The team fields Ford Mustangs in the NASCAR Cup Series and has won a total of four drivers' championships and over 170 races over both Cup and Xfinity series.
The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series was the 73rd season for NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 50th season for the modern era Cup Series. The season started at Daytona International Speedway with the Busch Clash, where it was the first year that the non-points event was run on the track's road course layout instead of the oval. That race was followed by the Bluegreen Vacations Duel qualifying races, and the 63rd running of the Daytona 500, the first points race of the season. The regular season also ended at Daytona with the 2021 Coke Zero Sugar 400 on August 28, where Kyle Larson won the Regular Season Championship. Following the 2021 Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 31, Chevrolet claimed its 40th Manufacturer's Championship and its first since 2015. The NASCAR playoffs ended with the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on November 7 with Larson earning his first Cup Series championship after a 10-win season.
The Next Gen car, originally known as the Gen-7 car, is the common name for the racecar that is currently in use in the NASCAR Cup Series. Its use began with the 2022 season. A further evolution of the Generation 6 car, the Next Gen features "improved" aero and downforce packages while introducing new technologies on the track. In addition, the Next Gen is designed to lower costs and attract new original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to compete with Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota.
The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series was the 74th season for NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 51st season for the modern Cup Series. The 2022 season marked the debut of the Next Gen Car, which was originally supposed to debut in 2021, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, this was the first season to have races covered by USA Network, which took over for the now-defunct NBCSN.
23XI Racing is an American professional auto racing organization that competes in the NASCAR Cup Series. It is owned and operated by Hall of Fame basketball player Michael Jordan, along with current Joe Gibbs Racing driver and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin. The team name represents a combination of Michael Jordan's No. 23 he wore during most of his NBA career and Denny Hamlin's No. 11 which he has driven his entire career in the Cup series. The organization fields the Nos. 23, 45, and 50 Toyota teams for drivers Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick, and three other drivers, including Kamui Kobayashi and Corey Heim. They currently have a technical alliance with JGR.
The 2021 O'Reilly Auto Parts 253 was a NASCAR Cup Series race that was held on February 21, 2021 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series was the 75th season for NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 52nd season for the modern-era Cup Series. The season started with the Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on February 5. That race was followed by the Daytona Duel qualifying races and the 65th running of the Daytona 500 on February 19, both at Daytona International Speedway. The season ended with the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on November 5.
The 2022 Daytona 500 was the first stock car race of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series and the 64th running of the event. The race was held on Sunday, February 20, 2022, in Daytona Beach, Florida at Daytona International Speedway, a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) asphalt superspeedway. In a green-white-checker finish, rookie Austin Cindric, driving for Team Penske, led 21 of the final 45 laps and held off challenges from teammate Ryan Blaney, RFK Racing's Brad Keselowski and eventual second-place finisher Bubba Wallace of 23XI Racing to win his first career NASCAR Cup Series race. Chase Briscoe of Stewart-Haas Racing finished third. Team Penske dedicated their Daytona 500 win to legendary sportscaster Bob Jenkins after the race. Jenkins used to broadcast NASCAR Races on ESPN from 1981 to 2000.
The 2023 Daytona 500 was a NASCAR Cup Series race and the 65th running of the event. It was held on Sunday, February 19, 2023, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It was the first race of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series. Jimmie Johnson returned to the Cup Series for Legacy Motor Club in this race. This was the longest Daytona 500 in history going 530 miles.
The 2024 Daytona 500 was a NASCAR Cup Series race and the 66th running of the event. It was held on Monday, February 19, 2024, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. It was the first race of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season. It was originally supposed to be run on February 18, but was postponed due to rain.
Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) is an American professional stock car racing organization founded by Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs. His son, J. D. Gibbs, ran the team with him until his death in 2019. Founded in Huntersville, North Carolina, in 1992. JGR has won five Cup Series championships.
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