From action-packed finishes to controversial post-race rulings, the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season had a number of razor-thin margins and late-race chaos that had major ripple effects throughout the entirety of the year.
Today, we’ll take a look at 10 of the biggest what-if moments from the season and analyze how that could have changed the entire playoff outlook – and even the season itself.
Before we start, however, there are a few ground rules to play loose and fast with. For starters, after a what-if is covered, forget about it. The whataboutism is fun to an extent, but if you account for every tiny nuance, things can get real confusing, real fast.
The other rule? We will take a look at how a different scenario might have impacted the drivers directly involved in that moment, but we will assume everything else for the rest of the drivers the rest of the season would have stayed the same.
1) What if Alex Bowman won the Daytona 500?
The Great American Race started finished with a bit of a whimper. Not only did the race get postponed to Monday afternoon, it also finished under caution. The timing of the caution, however, had a major impact on the bearing of the season.
A race he’ll never forget! @WilliamByron is a #DAYTONA500 Champion! pic.twitter.com/TRAPvHjZni
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 20, 2024
Alex Bowman had momentum on leader William Byron right as the caution flew. For a moment, it looked like Bowman actually succeeded in taking the lead, but NASCAR ruled Byron was the winner.
After taking the white flag, @WilliamByron was the leader at the time of the final caution.
This photo was used to determine the finishing order and Byron’s victory in the #DAYTONA500. pic.twitter.com/b0d0UfRaLN
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 20, 2024
This could have made a major difference on the overall season for Bowman, whose name popped up in rumors as the season went on. Had Bowman won the Daytona 500 in February, those rumors likely never would have started to begin with.
But you also have to think of the difference it would have made on Byron’s season. Had NASCAR waited a split-second longer to throw the yellow, Byron would have only had two wins on the season instead of three. He also would have had five less bonus playoff points.
At Martinsville Speedway in the fall, Byron used every last point to tie Christopher Bell and advance to the Championship 4.
2) What if Martin Truex Jr. won a race?
Two laps. A…
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