2024 NASCAR season superlatives

A rousing 2024 NASCAR season is in the books, and it's time to honor the best of the best before we turn the page fully to 2025. From photo finishes to fiery feuds and more, scroll through to see NASCAR.com's editorial staff superlatives from another memorable year in stock car racing.

BEST PAINT SCHEME

Kyle Larson No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports HendrickCars.com Darlington Throwback

Comment: Larson and Hendrick Motorsports understood the assignment for Throwback Weekend. The No. 5 team paid tribute to Terry Labonte's 1996 championship-winning Kellogg's scheme, and despite it not ending up in Victory Lane, it was best in show. (Cameron Richardson)

Others receiving votes: Ross Chastain Busch Light Darlington throwback, Alex Bowman Best Friends, Tyler Reddick Jordan Brand

MASTER OF QUALIFYING

Michael McDowell, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford

Comment: McDowell knew a thing or two about qualifying speed this season. Not one, but six pole positions for the No. 34 pilot in 2024 lapped (no pun intended) nearly the entirety of the Cup field, with only Kyle Larson (five) coming close to matching the total. (John Crane) 

Others receiving votes: Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell

CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES STANDOUT

Corey Heim, No. 11 Tricon Garage Toyota

Comment: In his second full-time Truck season, Heim reached a new level. The young star exploded for six wins in 2024 and again found himself in a fight for the series championship. Despite falling short in the finale and finishing the year second in the stadings, Heim will return to Tricon Garage in 2025 and will no doubt be a title favorite. (Alex Cadavid)

Others receiving votes: Christian Eckes, Layne Riggs

XFINITY SERIES STANDOUT

Austin Hill, No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Comment: Hill earned the distinction as the Xfinity Series' winningest driver in 2024, posting four victories and increasing his career total to 10. But the 30-year-old driver also made a significant step by reaching the Championship 4 for the first time in any NASCAR national series. Hill, who excels on superspeedways, has an opportunity to win the season-opener at Daytona for a fourth consecutive year in 2025. The record? Five in a row by the iconic Dale Earnhardt from 1990-94. (Zack Albert)

Others receiving votes: Jesse Love, Riley Herbst, AJ Allmendinger, Cole Custer, Chandler Smith, Shane van Gisbergen, Sheldon Creed

MOST CUP SERIES IMPRESSIVE ROOKIE

Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

Comment: Hard to pick anybody but the actual Sunoco Rookie of the Year here -- and nobody did, as you'll see below, despite some bright spots for fellow rookie hot shot Josh Berry -- but Hocevar exceeded nearly all expectations in 2024. A top-three finish at Watkins Glen was his best showing of the year, but his six top 10s set a new standard for Spire Motorsports as a company. He nearly cracked the top 20 in points and, assuming his trajectory continues its ascent, should be in play for potential playoff spot next season. (Pat DeCola)

Others receiving votes: None

BIGGEST SURPRISE

Harrison Burton's playoff-clinching win at Daytona International Speedway

Comment: The Daytona night race was 410 miles of electric racing that was anyone's to win. Avoiding calamity through the evening, Burton found himself leading the front row on the final lap, and an incredible push from Parker Retzlaff put Burton in front of Kyle Busch off Turn 4. Burton blocked Busch left and right to the checkered flag to score his maiden Cup victory and Wood Brothers' 100th triumph. (Cameron Richardson)

Others receiving votes: Kyle Busch's consecutive-seasons win streak snapped, Joey Logano's Round of 8 near-miss/run to a third title

MOST CLUTCH PERFORMANCE

Ryan Blaney's Round of 8 finale win at Martinsville Speedway

Comment: It looked like Blaney's time of being champ was up. Entering the Round of 8 elimination race, the 2023 Cup champ minus-38 points to good and needed to win if he wanted to defend his title the following weekend. With 42 laps to go and riding in third place, 2.9-seconds behind the leaders, Blaney had to make quick work around the tight Virginia confines. Blaney eventually caught up and passed the Hendrick duo of Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson to steal the lead at the eleventh hour and punch the No. 12 team's ticket to Championship 4 for second consecutive year by earning clutch wins at Martinsville. (Alex Cadavid)

Others receiving votes: Tyler Reddick's Homestead win, Joey Logano's Round of 8 win at Las Vegas, Joey Logano's championship win at Phoenix

NON-PLAYOFF DRIVER MOST LIKELY TO MAKE IT IN 2025

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Comment: It honestly felt weird not having Chastain in the playoffs this season, just two years removed from a championship runner-up and being a driver still clearly on the rise. Though his season -- and postseason -- had plenty of potholes, the Florida native made his presence felt often enough to still feel like a playoff driver, and he finally got his moment with a win at Kansas, beating all of the championship contenders. Anything can happen, but it's a bit of a foregone conclusion Chastain returns to the NASCAR Playoffs next season, and it shouldn't surpise you if he winds up being king of the hill at the end of 2025. (Pat DeCola)

Others receiving votes: Bubba Wallace, Chris Buescher, Kyle Busch

MOST EXCITING MOMENT

Kansas Speedway spring race

Comment: 0.001 seconds. Such a margin was all the difference for Kyle Larson, who beat out Chris Buescher for the race victory. To date, the finish is the closest in Cup Series history. Even calling it razor-thin would be an understatement. (John Crane)

Others receiving votes: Tyler Reddick's Homestead win, Atlanta's three-wide photo finish, Watkins Glen batte between Chris Buescher and Shane van Gisbergen

BEST RACE

Homestead-Miami Speedway Round of 8 race

Comment: Homestead is well-known for producing thriller after thriller, but there was just something extra special about this year's running that made it an all-timer; arguably the best in track history. Tyler Reddick "wowed" us in every which way this year, capping it all off with one of the greatest final laps the sport has seen as he vaulted past both Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney and into the Championship 4, a first for 23XI Racing. The race was contentious throughout, highlighted by an intense Hamlin battle with Chase Elliott in Stage 2. The Reddick move was just the cherry on top of a perfect Sunday. (Pat DeCola)

Others receiving votes: Kansas spring, Atlanta spring, Bristol spring, Watkins Glen

MOST VALUABLE CREW CHIEF

Paul Wolfe, No. 22 Team Penske Ford

Comment: Wolfe followed a familiar pathway to a third Cup Series title for both himself and driver Joey Logano, finding the extra oomph of performance at the right time in the playoffs and in the Phoenix finale. But Wolfe's decision-making maximized the No. 22 team's fuel mileage at multiple points of the season, stretching out a five-overtime win at Nashville in June, then opening the postseason's Round of 8 with a Champ 4-clinching strategy at Las Vegas that earned him the "Big Ball Paul" nickname. He'll reach 500 Cup Series starts early in the 2025 campaign. (Zack Albert)

Others receiving votes: Cliff Daniels, Adam Stevens

MOST VALUABLE DRIVER

Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Comment: No, he didn't walk away with a second Bill France Cup, but nearly the whole year it sure seemed like he was destined to. This season wasn't Larson's flashiest or most consistently dominant, but when he was on? Untouchable. It's because, at still just 32, the future Hall of Famer continues to improve as a driver solely focused exclusively on his race craft with an unrelenting focus on sharpening his skills. Guy spotted everybody a full race and still only lost the Regular Season Championship by a point, for crying out loud. Logano left the champion, but Larson was in a class of his own in 2024. (Pat DeCola)

Others receiving votes: Christopher Bell, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Tyler Reddick