By the Numbers: 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season

Look back through the numbers and the most impressive stats from the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season with help from Racing Insights.

Eighteen different drivers won a race in 2024, tied for third most all-time in the modern era. The 2024 season is the fourth straight year with more than 15 different winners, setting a new all-time record. In addition, 23 different drivers won a stage this season, an all-time record.

Martin Truex Jr. led 555 laps in his final full-time season, marking the 10th straight campaign in which he led 500-plus laps. The surefire future Hall of Famer became just the sixth driver in history to accomplish this.

Joe Gibbs Racing won 13 Busch Light Pole Awards, more than any other team. The Toyota-backed organization has had the most or been tied for the most poles in seven of the last eight seasons with qualifying (excl. 2020-21). However, the pole winner won just two races in 2024 -- neither of them being JGR drivers. It was just the fifth season with only two wins from the pole.

Kyle Larson led 462 laps in the Bristol Night Race, the most in a race this season -- and the second most laps any driver has led in a race since Kyle Petty led 484 at Rockingham Speedway in 1992. It was the most-dominated Bristol race since Cale Yarborough in 1977.

Forty drivers scored a top-10 finish in 2024, the most in a season since 2007 (41), while 33 drivers scored a top-five finish -- the most in a season since 2001 (34).

There were seven track lead-change records set in 2024 (27% of all active tracks). Eight races had 30-plus lead changes, tied for the most in a season since 1982. In addition, the driver leading with 10 laps to go failed to win 16 of 36 races, the third most ever in a season.

There was just one first-time winner in 2024 (Harrison Burton, Daytona 2), the 16th season with only one and the first time since 1985.

Front Row Motorsports led 386 laps in 2024, the most it has ever led in a season. The Ford-backed organization led 493 laps in its prior 19 seasons combined. A big part of that was Michael McDowell winning the pole in five straight drafting-track races, the most in a row since Bill Elliott in 1985/1986. McDowell's first 2024 pole, in his 467th start at Atlanta Motor Speedway, was a record for most career starts before a driver's first pole. 

The Chicago Street Race was just 127.6 miles, the shortest Cup Series race since Watkins Glen International in 1992.

Thirteen races in 2024 had a NASCAR Overtime finish, the most ever in a season. Six races in 2024 ended with a last-lap pass ... also the most ever in a season. Nashville Superspeedway had five overtime attempts, the most ever in a race. And the race itself went 31 laps past the scheduled distance, which is, you guessed it, the most ever in a race.

Three of the eight closest margins of victory came in 2024 -- Kansas Speedway's spring race (0.001 seconds), Atlanta's spring race (0.003) and the Talladega fall race (0.006), including the closest ever three-wide finish (Atlanta).

Kyle Busch failed to win in 2024, ending a 19-year streak of at least one win -- the all-time record. Nine drivers broke a winless streak of 42 or more races this year, however, the most ever in a season.

Hendrick Motorsports won the most races for the fourth consecutive season, the first time a team has won the most races in four straight seasons since Hendrick did it from 1995-98. Ten organizations won a race in 2024, the second straight season with that many.

There were 834 lead changes in 2024, the third most ever in a season. The 54 lead changes at Bristol in the spring were the most lead changes at a track smaller than 1.5 miles in the history of NASCAR.

In addition, only five cars finished on the lead lap in that race, the fewest since Dover in June 2004.