Grading the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series field

With the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season in the rearview, let’s hand out report cards to the full-time drivers who made up the field. 

Drivers are listed in order of car number they predominantly had during the season.

No. 1 Ross Chastain: B- 

Chastain’s win at Kansas on Sept. 29 obscured a frustrating 2024 campaign. Chastain missed the playoffs for the first time with Trackhouse Racing, and his 2022 run seems decades away. He’ll need a big 2025 to ensure he’s still counted as one of NASCAR’s elite. 

No. 2 Austin Cindric: C+

Like Chastain, Cindric’s lone win in 2024 — which came in St. Louis on June 2 — hid an otherwise mediocre season. Driving the flagship car at Team Penske is not a task for the weak, and through three seasons, Cindric hasn’t looked worthy of the ride. 

No. 3 Austin Dillon: D+

There’s not much to say about Dillon that hasn’t been said already. His win at Richmond on Aug. 11 is forever tainted due to the nature in which he won the race, and 2024 continued a slide for the No. 3 team that doesn’t seem to have an end in sight. 

No. 4 Josh Berry: C+

At one time, it seemed as if Berry could challenge Carson Hocevar for Rookie of the Year. A second-half collapse ensured that didn’t happen, but there’s plenty of reasons for optimism for Berry going into 2025. 

No. 5 Kyle Larson: A+

Larson didn’t win the championship, but he won six races and was a threat to win on a weekly basis. He enters 2025 as one of the championship favorites, and will once more be a weekly contender to win. 

No. 6 Brad Keselowski: B

Speaking of wins, on May 21 at Darlington, Keselowski found his way back to victory lane for the first time since April 2021. The No. 6 team couldn’t put together a playoff run, but Keselowski and RFK Racing are on the rise. 

No. 7 Corey LaJoie: D

In a “prove it” year for LaJoie, things couldn’t have gone much worse. He traded rides with Justin Haley with seven races left, and while Haley has a deal signed for 2025, LaJoie currently does not. 2025 will be a crucial year as LaJoie looks to regain momentum and confidence.

No. 8 Kyle Busch: C-

Busch’s first winless season ranks among the worst of his career. As his career wanes, every opportunity to snag a win must be jumped on. 

No. 9 Chase Elliott: B+

Like Keselowski, Elliott also broke a long winless streak at Texas on April 7. He also made the playoffs a year after missing out due to his leg injury, and nearly won at Martinsville to advance to the Championship 4. Expect him to be back in title contention in 2025. 

No. 10 Noah Gragson: C

Gragson’s 2024 season featured a few solid top-10 runs amid an otherwise average campaign. His first year with Front Row Motorsports in 2025 will be his best Cup Series opportunity yet. 

No. 11 Denny Hamlin: B+

Despite a three-win season, it’s hard for Hamlin to feel thrilled after once more coming up shy of a championship. He failed to make the Championship 4 for the third year in a row, and with time running out on his driving career, 2025 is the biggest year of his career. 

No. 12 Ryan Blaney: A

Blaney came up one spot short of his second consecutive title, but he solidified himself as one of the best in the sport. Don’t be surprised if he’s competing for the title again in 2025. 

No. 14 Chase Briscoe: C+

Briscoe’s 2024 season wasn’t spectacular, but he delivered Stewart-Haas Racing’s final Cup Series win at the Southern 500. For a driver who grew up a Tony Stewart fan, that’s a memory that will forever define his season. 

No. 17 Chris Buescher: B

Don’t look now, but Buescher has quickly become one of the most consistent drivers in the Cup Series. While he missed the playoffs, he found his way back to victory lane at Watkins Glen, bumping Shane van Gisbergen out of the way in an epic finish. 

No. 19 Martin Truex Jr: B-

It seemed like Truex Jr.’s mind was already on the lake for much of his swan song season, but he did enough to make the playoffs. He also won the pole for the final two races of the season, a special memory for a driver who has contributed so much to the sport. 

No. 20 Christopher Bell: A- 

Bell’s 2024 season will always be remembered for the race manipulation scandal at Martinsville that knocked him out of the Championship 4, but the No. 20 team put together another solid campaign. Bell has taken over Hamlin’s place as the top dog at Joe Gibbs Racing — no small feat for a driver in only his fifth Cup Series season. 

No. 21 Harrison Burton: D- 

Burton’s 2024 season was horrendous, save for his first career win at Daytona — the 100th for the Wood Brothers — that got him into the playoffs. He’ll have to rebuild his career to get another Cup Series opportunity, and a ride with AM Racing in the Xfinity Series for 2025 will be the first step. 

No. 22 Joey Logano: A+

As the champion, Logano receives an A+ by default, but don’t let that fool you. Logano and the No. 22 team played the system to a T, but they weren’t competitive for a majority of the season. 

No. 23 Bubba Wallace: B- 

Wallace went winless in 2024 and missed the playoffs, but he put together his best statistical season so far. With a new crew chief in Charles Denike for 2025, he’ll have an opportunity to take a big step forward. 

No. 24 William Byron: A-

Like Bell, the madness at Martinsville will be the story of Byron’s 2024 season. However, a second consecutive Championship 4 berth and a Daytona 500 victory made for a season that solidified Byron as a contender for years to come. 

No. 31 Daniel Hemric: D

Hemric’s 2024 season was easily the most forgettable of any driver. An unremarkable 29th-place points finish led to Hemric being demoted in 2024 to the Truck Series, where he’ll take over the No. 19 truck for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing. 

No. 34 Michael McDowell: C

McDowell was always fast in qualifying — he led the Cup Series with six poles — but he was unable to get back to victory lane. He’ll begin 2025 with a new team (Spire Motorsports). 

No. 38 Todd Gilliland: C+

Gilliland’s steady development in the Cup Series has been fun to watch. With McDowell leaving Front Row Motorsports, Gilliland will be the leader of the team in 2025, and could be a sleeper pick to earn a playoff berth. 

No. 41 Ryan Preece: D

Not much went right for Preece in 2024, but it wasn’t entirely his fault. Like the teams of Berry, Gragson and Briscoe, his team was shutting down at the end of the season. He’ll get his best Cup Series opportunity yet with RFK Racing in 2025. 

No. 42 John Hunter Nemechek: F

A last-place points finish tells you all there is to know about Nemechek’s 2024 season. The good news is the only way for Nemechek and Legacy Motor Club to go is up. 

No. 43 Erik Jones: D+

Like Nemechek, Jones and LMC did little to impress in 2024. A back injury suffered by Jones at Talladega hurt his points finish, but the team must make major strides in 2025. 

No. 45 Tyler Reddick: A

The only thing keeping Reddick from earning top marks is the team’s lackluster performance in the championship race. Aside from that, though, the No. 45 team was spectacular, winning the regular-season championship and three races. Reddick will be a title threat once more in 2025. 

No. 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr: C+

Stenhouse Jr.’s 2024 was pretty forgettable — until he beat Keselowski to the line in a thrilling photo finish at Talladega to earn his fourth career win. With a rebranded No. 47 team in 2025, he’s hoping to find more speed. 

No. 48 Alex Bowman: B+

Bowman broke a long winless streak in the Chicago Street Race and initially made the Round of 8 before being disqualified in post-race inspection. His quiet consistency shows that despite his critics, he’s not a driver to be taken lightly. 

No. 51 Justin Haley: D+

For all the hype surrounding Haley, a 31st-place points finish was rather disappointing. The good news is Haley knows where he’ll be racing in 2025, as he’ll reunite with Spire Motorsports — this time as a full-time driver. 

No. 54 Ty Gibbs: B-

Gibbs made the Cup Series playoffs for the first time in 2024, but his season was marred by mechanical issues. He’s still looking for his first Cup Series win going into 2025, as well as consecutive playoff appearances. 

No. 71 Zane Smith: C-

Smith’s abysmal first half of the season gave way to a solid second half. He’s now a hot free agent, and some rumors have him reuniting with Front Row Motorsports to drive its third Cup Series entry in 2025. 

No. 77 Carson Hocevar: B-

Aside from a few isolated incidents, Hocevar mostly kept a cool head in his rookie season. Combined with his stellar performance, all signs point to Hocevar being a future Cup Series star and a potential dark- horse playoff driver in 2025. 

No. 99 Daniel Suarez: C+

Suarez’s thrilling three-wide victory at Atlanta was the peak of his season. A trip to the second round of the postseason was nice, but he must put together consecutive solid seasons to solidify himself as a contender.