In a world filled with admiration for the Earnhardts and the Elliotts, people tend to forget the Burtons. But this family, whose roots can be traced back to Colonial Virginia, is as iconic as any other in NASCAR. A crucial member of the Burton dynasty is Ward Burton, the uncle of 24-year-old Xfinity Series driver Harrison Burton.
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Ward is the elder brother of Harrison’s father, Jeff Burton. He raced in NASCAR throughout the 1990s and the 2000s to reach victory lane times: Five in the Cup Series and four in the Xfinity Series. The height of his accomplishments came when he won the Southern 500 in 2001 and the Daytona 500 in 2002.
He finished sixth in the Xfinity Series in 1993, driving for A.G. Dillard Motorsports. It remains his best result in the second tier. Up in the premier series, he finished ninth in 1999, driving for Bill Davis Racing. Ward decided to quit racing after the 2003 season and cited a lack of trust in the industry as his reason for the same.
The issue stemmed when Bill Davis Racing wrongly held him accountable for the team’s lack of performance and handed him his termination papers out of the blue. He’d felt that he was being unfairly judged despite dedicating a major part of his life to the team and made the call to leave the sport altogether. He later got into wildlife preservation.
Ward’s strong code of ethics is carried forward by Harrison
Harrison drove for Wood Brothers Racing in 2024 and brought the team its 100th victory in the Cup Series. He was let go despite the achievement of winning a race at Daytona and was replaced with Josh Berry. Unable to find a ride for 2025 in the Cup Series, the young driver signed with the Xfinity Series outfit AM Racing for 2025.
Despite the demotion, he is bent on proving his suitability to be a Cup Series driver. He said in a recent interview, “I’ve got a lot of treads left on the tires. I’m ready to go, man. I’m super confident in myself and what I can do. I know that, in the right circumstances, I can be a Cup-level driver. Have to go prove it. I have to go earn it.”
Ward would no doubt be proud of the resolve that his brother’s son has displayed when he very easily could have accepted his fate and settled in the second tier for a long time. But intentions are one thing and actual performance is another. Time will tell if Harrison makes it back into the top tier to make his family name fly high.
