NASCAR Year in Review: Top 24 storylines of 2024, headlined by drama at Richmond

From close finishes to big wrecks to drama on the track and off of it, NASCAR produced several captivating storylines in 2024. Let's count down some of the top stories (not always the happiest but based on significance and impact on the sport) of the year: 

24. MaJeski wins truck title

Ty Majeski won the truck series title, the first for the Wisconsin short-track ace. It capped a great story as he went to ThorSport Racing to work on helping set up the car with minimal driving opportunities. He worked his way into a full-time ride, and in a year with three victories and six poles in his third full-time season on the circuit, he captured the big trophy.

23. Allgaier captures Xfinity title

Justin Allgaier, after 14 years of competing full-time in the Xfinity Series and in his seventh Championship 4 appearance, won the title. It didn't come easy as the JR Motorsports driver slid in oil in practice and wrecked his primary car. During the actual race, he had a pass-through penalty for changing lanes on a restart before the start-finish line — and then had a speeding penalty on pit road, so had to do another pass-through. But he got his lap back and then won the title in a wild finish.

22. Most cars involved in a crash 

Talladega, always the site of wild events, had a crash where 28 cars were involved or damaged — the most cars in one crash in the years that NASCAR has recorded it as a statistic. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who did receive damage in that crash, won the playoff race.

21. Investors come to race teams

A few teams welcomed investors, including Joe Gibbs Racing, which sold a significant minority stake to the NFL's Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris and the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers owner David Blitzer through