2024 has certainly been a year for the books, NASCAR fans! We’ve had it all from historically close finishes (3 of them, by my count), odd silly season shifts, and surprise winners. But 2024 has also been a year of controversies. Lawsuits. Penalties. We’ve had it all. Here are the biggest controversies in the 2024 season (so far).
On the second lap of the 2024 All-Star Race, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch were caught up in an on-track altercation, which ended Stenhouse’s night. With no tunnel to exit the track, the frustrations spilled over into post-race. As Kyle was heading back to his hauler after yet another miserable night, Stenhouse was there waiting for him. The driver of the number 47 Chevy confronted Busch, and the two had words. Then Stenhouse swung on Busch, and crews were quick to react…and get involved. You can relive the altercation in the video clip below.
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On the Xfinity front, Austin Hill is never far from controversy. In the spring race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Cole Custer and Austin Hill collided on the front stretch. But it wasn’t this initial impact that made headlines. Following Hill cutting a tire and getting into Custer on his way to the outside wall, Hill proceeded to hit Custer from behind under the yellow flag. This resulted in a 25-point penalty for Hill as well as a $25,000 fine.
The fall Richmond race was a race to remember for many wrong reasons. We’ll get into some of those reasons a little bit later on in this list. But Logano’s antics on pit road after the race is the reason for this entry on our list. After blatantly being wrecked by eventual winner Austin Dillon, Joey Logano went down pit road and did a burnout by the number 3’s pit stall. In the process, he nearly hit a fan, to the dismay of NASCAR officials. You can relive this insanity in the clip below.
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Denny Hamlin has always been an outspoken individual in the NASCAR garage. Ever since he got a podcast in Actions Detrimental, his voice has finally been heard. His comments on his podcast have been in the news several times this year because he always as some sort of hot take. You can watch/listen to his podcast in the video down below. You can also go to the channel and watch previous and the more recent episodes to hear Denny’s full, unfiltered thoughts.
In the record books, Austin Dillon won the fall Richmond race. What isn’t shown in the record books is how he did it. The number 3 of Austin Dillon had been fast all race and even legitimately led late. But after spinning his tires late on a restart, he lost his advantage to Joey Logano, who assumed the lead. On the last lap in the final turn, Austin Dillon plowed into Logano and took him out. After Denny Hamlin passed him for the lead, Dillon right-hooked Hamlin into the wall. Dillon went on to win the race, but his win did not count toward a playoff berth.
A common criticism of the current NASCAR playoff system is the win-and-you’re-in policy. Championships in the Cup Series have nearly been exposed as illegitimate (see Ryan Newman in 2014) in the past. The most recent outcry of legitimacy came when Harrison Burton won Daytona to be in the 2024 NASCAR Playoffs. I don’t want to take away from Burton’s win. It was a great moment for him, his family, and the Wood Brothers. But it’s the common consensus that it shouldn’t have made him eligible for a Championship. Sometimes, great moments can just be great moments.
The charter drama has been an ongoing story for over a year now. I won’t get into the whole meat and potatoes of it because it has been well-documented before. But here are the cliff notes: One night in the late summer/early fall, NASCAR sent teams the charter agreement at around 6 PM Eastern. It was a 200-page document, and NASCAR said that they needed to sign it by midnight. Most teams did, glad to be done with the hustle. Two teams refused. Those teams were 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports. Since that fateful day, both teams have decided to sue NASCAR on anti-trust grounds.
You can read more in the article below:
The most recent entry on this list is the blatant and ramped race manipulation that transpired Sunday during NASCAR’s cut-off race at Martinsville. To put it simply, Chevy manipulated the finish by not having Austin Dillon and Ross Chastain (who were on fresher tires and were faster) pass William Byron. Meanwhile, in the Toyota camp, Bubba Wallace slowed way down to allow Christopher Bell to pass him…and then Bell went on to ride the wall to the finish. The manipulation was blatant and obvious to anyone watching. What ended up happening was that Bell (who initially got into the playoffs on a tiebreaker) got kicked out of the post-season while William Byron advanced to the Championship 4. Later in the week, 23XI, Trackhouse, and RCR received staunch penalties for their infractions. At this time, all are allowed to appeal, but it doesn’t bode well for them.
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That’s it for this entry, Daily Downforce readers! What do you think about this crazy year? Let us know by commenting on all of our socials (X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc.). Be sure to keep it tuned in here at DailyDownforce.com for all the latest news and stories in the world of NASCAR!
Lionel Racing finally confirmed the first wave of 2026 NASCAR Authentics 1:64 scale diecast for Monday morning, with the line of retail-exclusive diecast featuring a new look for the new year.
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Chase Pistone, a former competitor on the short track racing circuit in addition to NASCAR’s National Series, has passed away. Pistone, now a successful Legends Car owner, was 42.
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Three races in, the 2026 season is finally starting to show its hand. COTA shifted narratives, exposed weaknesses, and raised new questions about contenders, pretenders, and everything in between.
From substitute drivers being forced into action to points gaps growing faster than expected, COTA delivered more than just a road course chess match. There were momentum swings, reputation hits, and at least one young driver stacking up enemies before stacking up results.
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