Our writers take a look back at the season that was and their favorite races.
What was your favorite Cup Series race from the 2024 season?
Madelyn: The FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway
Tanner: The Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway
Jey: The Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway
Joe: The Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway
Pat: The AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway
Why was this your favorite race? The track, the winner, the product, etc.
Madelyn: Michigan tends to be one of my favorite races every year just because it is sentimental to me. It was the first NASCAR race I had ever attended as a kid and I’ve just recently started going back. Though the last two years have been rained out and I haven’t seen much of the on-track product, I still have so much fun tailgating with my family and teaching my husband the ins-and-outs of the sport.
Tanner: This race could go down as one of the most important races in NASCAR history even though it didn’t go on to affect the champion. Tyler Reddick’s drive on that final restart cannot be overstated. His tires were older than the drivers he competed with at a track that devours tires as soon as you get a lap on them at speed. Once he got blown by on the restart, I figured his race was over while Blaney and Hamlin duked it out. The racing was predominantly clean over the final six laps, and when Blaney cut-off Hamlin coming to the white flag, I thought the race was over. Then, Reddick ran a tighter turn 1 than either driver before sending it around the wall in turns 3 and 4 to secure a major milestone victory for 23XI. This was after a race where the product was clicking on all cylinders as well where drivers of all skill levels were rising through the field all the way to the finish. Without this win and the subsequent Championship Four berth, I wonder how 23XI’s lawsuit against NASCAR breaks differently because of Tyler Reddick’s contract being tied to a chartered entry. Losing a guy that failed to make it to the title race two years in a row is nowhere near as bad as losing a guy that just made it to the title race. This win might’ve been what won them the injunction, along with Joe Custer getting involved.
Jey: The entire experience from top to bottom was something that I may not ever to touch again, from the garage access To meeting drivers and crew members and being in the infield for pre race festivities and driver introductions. It was truly the experience of a lifetime and I loved every second of it from start to finish. From the drama with Larsons issues early to the incident between Briscoe and leader Kyle Busch late that would set up a smashing victory for Ross Chastain the race never lacked for action Or storylines.
Joe: Like many others, I got into NASCAR through watching the movie ‘Cars’ nearly religiously as a child. So, watching the opening scene of the movie that sparked my love for the sport of NASCAR come to life in the dying stages of one of the greatest races I’ve ever watched was nothing short of a full circle moment for me personally. My own reasoning aside, a 3 wide photo finish down to the line between one of the best to ever do it, the reigning champion and a guy who has bounced around and finally found a home will always be a contender for coolest moment of the year.
Pat: Kansas is just such a gem right now, and this was the perfect showcase for what the Next Gen can be when it’s allowed to shine. You had everything. An extensive long-run battle for the first stage win, a five-wide pass for the lead to start the second stage, and to cap it all off, a 0.001s margin of victory, the closest in Cup Series history.
If you could change one thing from this race to make it even better, what would it be?
Madelyn: I would’ve changed the start time or even the date. Like I said earlier, this race has been postponed the last two years I’ve been in attendance and I’ve only seen five laps of real racing in that time. Rain is obviously an issue with this time of year so I’m very excited to attend the race in June this coming year.
Tanner: While I enjoyed the outcome of this race, I would’ve loved to see Larson not make the silly three-wide attempt with 13 to go that brought out the final caution. I believe Blaney had a car capable of winning that race, probably a better car than Larson, but we’ll just never know because Larson wiped himself out.
Jey: If my personal favorite driver had won it would’ve been the perfect experience, even without that I can not levy a single complaint.
Joe: It’s very difficult to find something to make this race better for me. Two of my favourite drivers participated in one of the closest finishes of the year together, it’s hard to top that.
Pat: The storylines would’ve been a bit more compelling if Buescher had been the one to nose ahead at the line, particularly given how that would’ve gone on to impact the playoff bracket, but that’s just splitting hairs.
Will your enjoyment of this race make you more likely to tune into it or even attend it next season? Why or why not?
Madelyn: Absolutely. Michigan is technically my home track since Mid-Ohio isn’t on the Xfinity or Truck Series schedules anymore, so I’ll happily take any opportunity I have to go to Brooklyn. Since we were unable to attend Monday’s running of the race, we received vouchers for next year’s race. This makes it a no-brainer that we’ll be back.
Tanner: Homestead is appointment television in my household. I refuse to miss any Cup race at this track because I know the NextGen car creates classics at intermediates with aged surfaces. As much as I’d love to make a trip down to Miami to watch a race here, that would be a big trip for me to a track that hasn’t updated its amenities since its last repave in 2003. If they dress the place up a little bit after next year’s race, I’d wholeheartedly consider making the trip down south.
Jey: I will be tuning in for sure, only reason i won’t be attending next year is that I have other races and events planned and Kansas was a 12 hour trek across country for me and I’m not up for that again quite yet.
Joe: If I could attend a race next year, it would be Atlanta. Recent races have convinced me that the decision to turn the track into a proto-superspeedway was arguably the correct move for the future of Atlanta. Any future NASCAR cup series races at Atlanta will be must-see TV for me from now on.
Pat: Kansas isn’t usually somewhere I can land a paying gig from the photography side, so we’ll see how my schedule lines up next year. It’s always my first choice for a passion project outing, though.
Have you or will you re-watch this race?
Madelyn: I haven’t and probably will not rewatch it. I was happy with the winner of the race and, honestly, nothing too exciting would make me want to sit through it again. Especially on TV instead of in person. It doesn’t help when your favorite driver gets in a wreck and is knocked out of the race, either.
Tanner: I don’t often re-watch races, but for the reasons I mentioned above relating to the 23XI-FRM lawsuit, the 2024 Straight Talk Wireless 400 might be in my Youtube queue at some point. That way, I can give it a proper recontextualization. When racing season is done, I, too, am done with racing, so I’m unlikely to watch it again anytime soon.
Jey: I absolutely have and will again many times I’m sure.
Joe: I have not re-watched the full race as of yet. However, the final laps are something that I chose to revisit regularly.
Pat: Absolutely! I usually re-watch each race when I’m going through and doing my final sorting and edits, though, so that’s not unique praise for this one.
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