NASCAR
Long NASCAR Cup Series Losing Droughts Busted in 2024
2024 was nothing if not parity-filled for NASCAR Cup Series race winners and weekly contenders. In total, ten different drivers ended a year-plus long winless drought. This put the season’s number of winners in rarified air and within reach of the all-time record. Here are those drivers who took a much awaited victory lap after some time away from the spotlight.
Daniel Suarez – 57 races
All the way back in February was a highlight reel finish that will live on to define 2024. Coming to the checkers three-wide, Daniel Suarez’s nose just edged ahead to capture the Atlanta victory. This erased a year-and-a-half long dry spell for Suarez, and put the Trackhouse Racing driver back into the Playoffs.
The first upset winner of the season, Suarez came close to finding winning glory again. Suarez was second in the postseason kickoff return trip to Atlanta. The Cup Series win only added to a very memorable year for Suarez both on and off-track. The Mexico native became a United States dual citizen, got married, won in NASCAR’s Brazil and Mexico Series, and helped announce the 2025 Mexico City NASCAR weekend.
Chase Elliott – 42 starts*
April 14 saw perhaps one of the most eagerly anticipated winning moments of 2024. At Texas Motor Speedway, Chase Elliott broke through for his first victory since 2022, with a historical tie in too. The sponsor on board the No. 9 Chevrolet that day was Hooters, who saw their first NASCAR win since 1992. Hooters was an integral piece of the beloved championship run by Alan Kulwicki. The restaurant brand helped beat Chase’s father Bill Elliott to that year’s NASCAR Cup title. Chase was more than honored to pay tribute to Kulwicki at Texas with a Polish Victory Lap celebration.
Elliott’s timespan between wins was largely defined by his broken leg and one-race suspension in early 2023. Driver 9 would miss seven combined races. Upon his return, it was evident that Elliott was a step off his usual contending self.
The Hendrick 9 team may not have found another checkered flag in 2024. Their Playoff run did show great promise though. The last five races saw Elliott record three top-fives and over 200 laps led. With minimal bonus points this year, the 9 was still in the hunt for a Championship 4 berth. Should this level of weekly precision maintain into 2025, Elliott may be facing down another deep postseason run.
Brad Keselowski – 110 races
Mother’s Day weekend at Darlington saw the mother of all 2024 winless streaks busted. Tyler Reddick may have dominated the day, but a late race surge saw both RFK Racing cars come into contention. While Reddick was racing against Brad Keselowski, Chris Buescher swept by them both to take the top spot in the closing laps. A poorly-timed slide job by Reddick ended with Buescher in the fence. This exchange handed Keselowski his breakthrough win as a driver/owner.
Darlington was Keselowski’s first triumph in over three years, dating back to April 2021 at Talladega. BK was Playoff-bound again with this grueling win from NASCAR’s toughest track. The No. 6 made it back to the postseason, but did not make it past the opening round. Keselowski finally finding success again in this new era and the Next Gen Car only further validated his lofty aspirations of bringing Roush back to relevance. It will be entertaining to see how the now expanded three-car team performs with their leader at the helm in 2025.
Austin Cindric – 85 races
Ford struggles were evident out of the gate with their new car in 2024. The summer months belonged to the blue oval, however. A seven week stretch saw four different Mustangs find victory lane, including Austin Cindric’s Playoff path unfolding at Gateway.
The Penske No. 2 was second coming to the white flag, when teammate Ryan Blaney’s gas tank ran dry. This one lap miscalculation by the 12 team allowed Cindric to capture a second Cup Series checkered flag. This moment also ultimately led to a Penske perfect Playoffs.
Cindric had not seen a checkered flag first since the 2022 Daytona 500. He has now seen both teammates split the last three championships. When asked if this fuels his competitive fire for a Cup title, Cindric simply stated “more than you could know.” Cindric now enters his fourth season on the Cup tour. He has lofty expectations to live up to against title-winning teammates.
Joey Logano – 48 races
As hard as it may be to believe, 2024’s eventual Cup champion was recently on his own long losing drought. Joey Logano had a last half of 2023 that was very forgetful, after only earning one early-season win from Atlanta. 2024 was not much better for starters, being his worst statistical start to a season at Team Penske. Logano was on the tail end of the Playoff picture entering Nashville Superspeedway in June.
Thanks to five overtimes, Logano had ample time to save enough fuel and survive a sprint to the finish. The No. 22 was 15th when the overtime fracas started. He would narrowly edge ahead of Zane Smith when the checkers finally fell.
Logano obviously made the most of this very circumstantial win. Team 22 went onto take the opening Playoff race from Atlanta and then the Round of 8 opener. Phoenix saw Logano come in clutch again for a third career Cup title and second in three years. ‘Even Year Logano’ remains undefeated in the Next Gen era. It will be fun to follow along and see if any 2025 championship hangover mirrors his 2023 struggles.
Alex Bowman – 80 starts*
Hendrick Motorsports once again saw perfect Playoff representation in 2024, thanks to Alex Bowman’s win on the Chicago Street Course. Much like teammate Chase Elliott, Bowman’s elongated dry spell was marred by multiple injuries and missing races. Taking home his first victory since March 2022, Bowman finally earned a road course triumph in Grant Park. Bowman bested a hard charging Tyler Reddick over the closing laps to stand tall among the skyscrapers.
Aside from this highlight reel moment, Bowman’s 2024 season also saw a career-best 17 top-10s. Initially joining his three teammates in a Hendrick Round of 8 sweep, Bowman was eliminated by not meeting minimum weight after the Charlotte Roval. Playoffs or not, back-to-back top-10s in the next two weeks showed resolve. Team 48 is a top-tier threat if they can make it to the semifinal round. 2025 has the potential to be Bowman’s best year yet at Hendrick, should he be in similar position again.
Austin Dillon – 68 races
A night that will live on in infamy is the 2024 summer race at Richmond. After taking the lead away late from Denny Hamlin, Austin Dillon was in position for the ultimate upset. Failing to get a good launch on an overtime restart, Dillon soon lost the top spot to Joey Logano. Dillon proceeded to spin the 22 coming to the checkers in turn three. For a moment, Hamlin got by the 3 and hoped to steal the win back. This came to a crashing end when the 11 was right-reared into the wall.
Wrecking two of the most polarizing drivers out of the way on the last lap, Dillon’s win sent shockwaves through the garage. That Wednesday, NASCAR officials made the ruling that Dillon’s win would not count towards Playoff eligibility. This erased the ultimate bonus from Dillon’s first victory in nearly two years. Team 3 entered Richmond 32nd in points, and remained there at season’s end. What was for a fleeting moment a peak-drama Playoff upset helped shape a new era of NASCAR officiating.
Following some personnel moves and new hires, both Dillon and Kyle Busch aim for greener pastures ahead in 2025.
Cook Out 400 on Sunday, August 11. Credit: Peter Stratta/TSJSports
Chase Briscoe – 93 races
The weekly drama of 2024’s regular season had one last stunner in store at the Southern 500. Darlington playing host as the cutoff race had minimal expectations for any 11th-hour winner, but it delivered in prime fashion.
Planted behind Kyle Larson for what seemed like eternity, Chase Briscoe got the upper hand on a late restart. A new threat soon emerged and loomed large on Briscoe’s bumper, however–Kyle Busch. Trying to maintain his winning seasons record, Busch fought valiantly but ultimately came up three tenths short of the 14.
Stewart-Haas Racing earned one final victory in their swan song season with their flagship car, a crown jewel win to boot. This team had a building’s worth of people rally around their renewed championship run. Briscoe’s blue collar underdog bid at the title may not have lasted past the Round of 12. He did however give SHR one more winning memory.
Chris Buescher – 37 races
Making its first appearance in the NASCAR Playoffs, Watkins Glen left its mark with a finish for the ages. Reminiscent of the beloved 2012 finish between Brad Keselowski and Marcos Ambrose, Chris Buescher was not to be denied against another ace. The No. 17 Ford capitalized on a rare last lap slip up by Shane van Gisbergen. Even without making the 16-man Playoff cut, Buescher still stole headlines for a week with this huge win. Buescher’s losing drought lasted just over a calendar year, following his three wins across five weeks late in 2023.
2024 for Chris Buescher can be characterized by a few ‘what ifs?’ Had Buescher been the RFK car in victory lane at Darlington instead of Keselowski, Watkins Glen would have been a Round of 12 ticket. The week prior to Darlington at Kansas was another heartbreak for Buescher. He was second in the closest ever Cup Series finish. If either of these near wins went in the 17’s favor, Buescher could have mounted a deep postseason run. Alongside a new/old teammate, Buescher has a lot to live up to with 2025 ahead.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr – 65 races
The 18th different winner from 2024, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. conquered Talladega once again in October. This marked the superspeedway ace’s first win since the 2023 Daytona 500, a nearly two-year long span.
Following a massive accident that took out most of the field, Stenhouse’s car was wounded but still rolling. Nobody mounted enough of a charge to overpower the No. 47 in overtime. This led to the Mississippi driver’s fourth career win.
Offseason shakeup sees this team rebrand themselves as Hyak Motorsports. Stenhouse will try and chase more checkered flags on superspeedways where he’s always a threat.
Ten of 18 winners erasing a long losing drought for 2024 is quite a figure that should not be overlooked. This season will be remembered for a lot of moments, both positive and negative. The large amount of parity seen should be celebrated. Year three of the Next Gen Car knocked on the door of the 19 winners record. This seemingly impossible feat may just be attainable in 2025.
Written by Peter Stratta
Be sure to follow us on Twitter/X
Be sure to follow the writer on Twitter/X
Photo Credits to Chris Graythen/Getty Images
