The top five races in the first half of the NASCAR Cup Series season

In the first half of the NASCAR season, we experienced plenty of jaw-dropping moments, including two amazing photo finishes.

Here are the top five races so far, ranked in inverse order:

5. St. Louis: Enjoy Illinois 300

Gateway isn't a track that usually puts on barn-burners, but the St. Louis showdown had a sellout crowd on its feet nearly from start to finish.

Whether it was the Kyle Busch-Kyle Larson wreck, an incredible battle for the lead between Ryan Blaney and Christopher Bell or Blaney running out of gas on the final lap and giving the win to Austin Cindric, St. Louis this season solidified itself as a major destination on the NASCAR calendar for years to come.

4. Darlington: Goodyear 400

Darlington would put on a good show with Ford Model T's racing, but the spring race at the track was especially noteworthy.

At the "Lady in Black," Brad Keselowski ended his 110-race winless streak, but it was his RFK teammate, Chris Buescher, drew the most attention.

After making an incredible three-wide pass for the lead, Buescher got tangled up with Tyler Reddick in the final laps, giving Keselowski the win and leading to a post-race confrontation between the aforementioned drivers.

3. Bristol: Food City 500

If there ever was a NASCAR race that could be perceived as a "happy little accident," it would be this one.

Goodyear unknowingly brought an extremely soft tire to the Tennessee short track, leading to an unprecedented number of on-track passes and lead changes. Veteran driver Denny Hamlin took the checkered flag, managing his tires to perfection in the best short-track race of the Next-Gen era.

2. Atlanta: Ambetter Health 400

After putting on a spectacular race in the summer of 2023, expectations were high for Atlanta Motor Speedway's first date in 2024.

With three- and four-wide racing featured throughout the final stint, the Ambetter Health 400 came down to mere inches.

When the checkered flag flew, many thought defending champ Ryan Blaney had won. But in a three-wide duel that came down to a photo finish, Daniel Suarez earned the victory, reminding some of the photo finish at the inaugural Daytona 500 in 1959.

1. Kansas: AdventHealth 400

Kansas Speedway, one of the more chaotic stops on the NASCAR calendar in recent years, lived up to its billing in a rain-delayed race on the 1.5-mile oval in May.

After an overtime restart, Larson and Buescher came barreling to the line side-by-side in a dead heat.

As Buescher's team celebrated after crossing the finish line, NASCAR reviewed the footage and determined Larson finished first, beating Buescher by one one-thousandth of a second – the closest finish in the series' history.