23-year-old Harrison Burton became an overnight sensation with his upset victory at the Daytona International Speedway on Saturday. He beat race leader Kyle Busch in the final lap of the Cup Series race and secured himself a sweet little spot in the playoffs that are set to begin soon. But what does this mean for his future now that his team has already signed Josh Berry to replace him in 2025?
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He said on a recent episode of the Harvick Happy Hour podcast that his focus for now was entirely on making it as far as possible through the playoffs. However, he does have an idea of what his ideal destination looks like. He quipped to Harvick, “I want to go somewhere that I’m wanted, right? I want to go somewhere that believes in me and sees me as an avenue to win races and elevate their team.”
Burton greatly values the opportunity to race in the Cup Series. He is certain that he wants to continue doing that, but not at the cost of not having the chance to compete for race wins. His performances on the race track are fueled by his confidence in his caliber to be a successful driver at the top level. The victory at Daytona has further bolstered that.
He added, “It was just so much fun and so cool. Gave me a lot of confidence in myself, right? Those situations I’m capable of coming out on the other side on top of when at times it seems like it hasn’t been that way. I hope I can bring that to wherever I go next.” Kaulig Racing and Rick Ware Racing were prime candidates to get his signature before last weekend. Bigger names could be in the hunt now.
The tough journey that Burton took through the Cup Series
Burton first entered the garages of Wood Brothers Racing in 2022. He was coming off a decent run in the Xfinity Series where he secured four victories over three years for Joe Gibbs Racing. Much was expected of him but he struggled to find good finishes at the top level and posted a mere five top-10 results leading up to the 2024 Coke Zero Sugar 400.
His lack of results forced the team to let go of him in favor of Stewart-Haas Racing driver Berry. However, he put on a strong face even when the announcement was made in July. He said in a post on X, “This is not an excuse to lay down and die. We’re going to go down swinging.”
And he sure has done just that. He gave Wood Brothers Racing its 100th victory in the Cup Series and marked his name in its history forever. He told Harvick that Daytona meant so much more considering the hardships that he’d suffered over the past three years.
