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This year Joey Logano won his third NASCAR Cup Series championship but other drivers like Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson put in some of the best performances. 18 different drivers won races in 2024 with a surprise win by Harrison Burton. Kyle Busch, however, ended his 19-year streak of winning at least one race each season.
Here are the top five drivers of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series, in no particular order.
#1 Kyle Larson
Logano might have won the championship but Kyle Larson dominated this season with the most wins, pole positions, and laps led in the Cup Series.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver won six races, including big ones like the Brickyard 400 and Charlotte Roval. He led 1,699 laps, had 15 top-five finishes, and started on pole five times.
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Larson could not make it to the Championship 4 and finished sixth overall but was one of the best drivers this season.
#2 Christopher Bell
Christopher Bell had a strong year with three wins. He tied for most top fives in the series at 15 and had the most top 10 finishes (23). Bell's championship chances ended after a penalty at Martinsville. His other wins came at Coca-Cola 600, Phoenix, and New Hampshire.
The Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota driver ranked fifth in the final standings and had the best season of his career yet.
#3 Chase Elliott
Hendrick Motorsports's Chase Elliott was one of the most consistent drivers this year. He had the best average of 11.7 with 11 top-fives and 19 top-10 finishes. Elliott ended a 42-race winless streak at Texas, which was his only win this year.
The 39-year-old ranked seventh overall and also won the most popular award for the seventh consecutive year in 2024.
#4 Joey Logano - 2024 NASCAR Cup Series champion
Joey Logano won four races this season. He finished first at the final Phoenix race and became only the 10th driver to ever win three Cup championships in NASCAR.
Logano mastered the playoff game this year. The Team Penske driver turned his average regular season with only one top-five finish in 14 races into strong playoff performances and won three playoff races at Atlanta, Las Vegas, and Phoenix.
He had only seven top-fives and 13 top-10 finishes.
#5 Ryan Blaney
Ryan Blaney had a great season which was similar to his 2023 championship run. He won three races, including Martinsville, and had 12 top-fives and 18 top-10s. The 30-year-old almost won back-to-back titles at Phoenix where he finished just three seconds behind teammate Logano.
Blaney ended the year in second place according to the final point standings.
