With the 2024 NASCAR season set to take the green flag with this Sunday's Daytona 500, anticipation is revving up at fever pitch for what promises to be a pivotal, unpredictable and exciting year. Story lines abound as seasoned veterans and rising starts battle on-track over a grueling 36-race to claim bragging rights as NASCAR's newest Cup champion in Phoenix in November.
There's sure to be plenty of surprises throughout the year that will undoubtedly shape the narrative, but as the sport gets set to start its newest campaign, there are five storylines that fans will want to follow. From backroom politics to heated on-track competition between drivers, teams and manufacturers, 2024 is sure to be an unforgettable season.
Denny Hamlin Chasing Championship in 2024
One of the biggest storylines going into the 2024 season is if Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin can finally get to the top of the mountain.
Hamlin has had a historic career with more than 50 Cup victories, including three Daytona 500s. However, he still lacks a championship. Hamlin has been so close on so many occasions, just to see his efforts fail.
His closest opportunity came back in 2010 when he finished second to Jimmie Johnson, who seemed to always have the edge throughout Hamlin's career.
Hamlin has made the Championship Four four times, but just couldn't beat the other drivers for a variety of reasons.
As Hamlin famously said in the Netflix docuseries "NASCAR: Full Speed," "I'm f**king cursed."
However, 2024 feels different for the driver of the No. 11 Toyota.
He got off to a great start to the season by winning the famed Busch Light Clash at the L.A. Coliseum and was oozing with confidence, which could prove to be what he needs to chase the crown.
Since the race moved to the Coliseum, the winner has gone on to either win the championship or the regular season title.
His previous success winning the Clash has also ended in strong seasons for Hamlin. The real question is, will Hamlin finally win that championship in 2024?
Kyle Larson's Attempt at "The Double"
Only four drivers have attempted "The Double"—racing in the Indianapolis 500 and the Charlotte 600 on the same day. John Andretti was the first to try back in 1994. Robby Gordon did it five times—in 1997, 2000 and from 2002-2004. Tony Stewart did it in 1999 and 2001 and is the only driver to complete all 1,100 miles, which he accomplished in 2001 with a 6th place finish at Indy and a third place at Charlotte. A decade ago, Kurt Busch was the last driver to drive in "The Double" ... until now.
This year, 2021 NASCAR Cup champion Kyle Larson will try to become the fifth driver to race Indy and Charlotte in the same day. He will drive an Indy car prepared crewed by IndyCar's Arrow McLaren Racing in the 500 before strapping into his familiar No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet for the 600.
A versatile racer who cut his teeth on the short tracks across the country and teamed with Arrow McLaren, Larson has a great shot at improving Stewart's 2001 Double performance. Clearly, fans are excited about his attempt with Indy 500 ticket sales outpacing previous years.
Manufacturer Battle
There looks to be a stronger manufacturer battle heading into 2024. This is headlined by the new bodies for the Ford and Toyota camps. The Fords will be debuting the Dark Horse Mustang, and the Toyotas will be racing the new Camry XSE.
Chevrolet on the other hand will stand pat with its Camaro. Chevy teams will have to wait until next year at the earliest to make a change to the bodies of their cars. With 18 wins in the Cup Series last year, Chevrolet didn't seem like it needs to make a change.
The Toyotas seemed to hold their own, by winning 10 races in 2023 and sending four drivers into the Round of 8 in the playoffs.
Fords were the ones that struggled on the 1.5-mile racetracks. Outside of winning the Coca-Cola 600 with Ryan Blaney behind the wheel, the Fords lacked speed at those racetracks. Even though a Ford has won the Cup Series championship the past two years, it does not mean that it had the fastest cars for most of the year.
A change was necessary for the Fords and Toyotas, but now it will be time to see if it puts them past the Chevrolets on a weekly basis.
Judging by the results of NASCAR qualifying and the two 150-mile qualifying races, Ford and Toyota teams will likely be happy with the changes to their cars. Fords swept the front row in qualifying, and Toyota won each of the two 150-mile qualifying races.
Return to Indianapolis Oval
NASCAR will be making its long-anticipated return to the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in 2024, and ticket sales are proving why it's good to be back.
The race at the Brickyard went to the road course after the 2020 season due to dwindling ticket sales and poor on-track racing.
Following a successful test with the Next Gen car, the Yard of Bricks will once again see stock cars racing the track they should have never left.
The road course was fun while it lasted, but the amount of torn-up race cars, not to mention the controversial moments, showed that NASCAR needed the change.
The crown jewel Brickyard 400 is back where it belongs 30 years after Jeff Gordon won the inaugural event, and it will be exciting to see who adds their name to the list of historic winners at Indianapolis.
It's a moment the drivers have been waiting for, not to mention the fans, and they are ready to show out.
Charter Negotiations
There is one major question at the forefront of the sport—will a charter agreement happen this year?
This has been an ongoing discussion for a while and from what we have heard, talks are not going well. The current charter agreement will expire at the end of 2024, and the main sticking point between the teams and NASCAR seems to be about revenue sharing largely from NASCAR's new TV deal.
Jeff Gordon joined the "Dale Jr. Download" to talk about the charter agreement conversations and where they are going. According to Gordon, negotiations have stalled out and the two sides remain far apart.
There is one thing in the favor of the teams when it comes to the negotiating process.
"I think that the investments the teams are making right now in the sport—not just to go fast but to try to build our businesses that is sustainable then something's got to change," Gordon said. "If something doesn't change, I don't think we're gonna see the sport get back to once where it was. So, what is the leverage? Right now, we don't have a charter agreement that guarantees that teams have to show up to the racetracks."
If there is no agreement, teams are not required to compete at NASCAR races. What would NASCAR do if none of its stars show up at races? For now, NASCAR is standing firm and has threatened to revoke team charters. If the two sides don't find a compromise, NASCAR could be in serious trouble in 2025 and beyond.
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