Not everyone was jubilant following Harrison Burton’s win at the 2024 Coke Zero Sugar 400. Burton was 34th on points before the race and jumped into the top 16 with one win. This compromised the integrity of the competition since drivers who have raced better and have been more consistent all year are now at risk of not making it to the playoffs at all.
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But, former NASCAR driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr. does not look at it that way. On a recent episode of his podcast, he addressed these concerns and explained how he is not worried about the integrity of the sport being compromised.
Ever since the playoffs began, there have always been these wildcard entries. If NASCAR did not want that to happen, they could just have the top 16 drivers qualify and not have the “win and you get in” system in place at all. It would have just been a bland league system throughout the season.
Another aspect of the Burton win that Junior likes is the financial side of it. Wood Brothers Racing does not compete for race wins regularly. Their inclusion in the top 16 will give them an additional $2 to $3 million which they can use to improve their car and be more competitive next season. With a veteran like Josh Berry, a good car could result in multiple race wins.
“They’re going to benefit from that financial success and so…pretty good deal. I like that part. I like that this team won the lottery. I like the idea that Rick Ware or some of those teams that are back there, they’re putting up a fight…they’re all working their guts out and they’re working their guts out to run 25th and 30th every week. That’s harder than to run in the top 10. That’s harder emotionally, mentally,” he said.
Junior endorses new driver of #88 car
Junior made a name for himself on track driving the #88 car from 2008 to 2017. Now, the iconic number will be seen at Trackhouse Racing with Shane Van Gisbergen as the driver. The Australian Supercars champion will join the Cup Series full-time next season after winning three races in his rookie Xfinity Series season. According to team owner Justin Marks, Junior was more than happy to see his number go to such a deserving candidate.
“(Had) a great, great exchange with Dale Jr. saying, like, ‘Look, it’s not my number. I mean, I added to the legacy of it. It was important to me personally.’ But he was proud to see it in good hands, and that’s just something that’s super, super important to me and this company,” Marks said.
SVG is exceptional around road courses, he even won three in Xfinity this year alone. It will be interesting to see how the Kiwi copes next season in the top division racing across short tracks, intermediates, road courses, and Superspeedways.
