Harrison Burton’s NASCAR has spoken about his future in the sport as he prepares to leave Wood Brothers Racing.
His win at the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway not only catapulted him into the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs but also landed him in the spotlight as Wood Brothers Racing celebrated their 100th victory.
As Burton’s contract with Wood Brothers Racing winds down, the 23-year-old racer remains optimistic about his forthcoming opportunities. During a celebratory event at the Wood Brothers shop in Mooresville, North Carolina, Burton shared his thoughts on his future within NASCAR. He explained, as quoted by NASCAR.com:
“I think I’ll be a race car driver next year, so that’s great.
Harrison Burton, driver of the #21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford, looks on during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Grant Park 165 at Chicago Street Course on July 06, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. Harrison Burton opens up on NASCAR future.
Meg Oliphant/Getty Images
“I don’t know where exactly, or what series — I don’t know. I think it’s all fluid.
“I feel like [I’m getting] close to where I feel good about a couple things. I feel like I’m in a place now where the places I’m going to go in the future want me and genuinely want me as a race car driver to go and help them try to win races.”
The Daytona victory was particularly dramatic as Burton overtook Kyle Busch on the final lap, securing the win by a mere 0.047 seconds. The thrilling finish garnered widespread attention, drawing praise for broadcaster Leigh Diffey’s exhilarating call of the race.
“Not [rewatched the win] a ton, honestly, mostly ’cause I hate the way my voice sounds on my radio when I scream.
“I don’t know why — it just bothers me …
“[Broadcaster] Leigh Diffey had a pretty awesome call of it. He’s like setting up the Kyle Busch story, ‘He hasn’t won since 2008,’ and then it’s like, ‘Here comes Harrison Burton out of nowhere.’ That was cool.”
This race also highlighted a personal moment for Burton, as his father, Jeff Burton, was in the broadcast booth as an analyst for NBC Sports. Harrison fondly noted:
“I did like to listen a few times to see what my dad said, and he was pretty quiet up there, which is typical of my dad in the booth whenever I’m racing.
“He tries very hard to be unbiased.
“Then I see the video of him muting his mic and almost punching Leigh Diffey, fist-pumping.”
Burton’s impending free agency comes at a crucial time, as NASCAR heads into the 2024-25 “Silly Season.”
NASCAR Cup Series: Current Standings
- Tyler Reddick – 823 points
- Kyle Larson – 806 points
- Chase Elliott – 805 points
- Ryan Blaney – 755 points
- William Byron – 743 points
- Christopher Bell – 737 points
- Brad Keselowski – 718 points
- Denny Hamlin – 712 points
- Martin Truex Jr – 695 points
- Ty Gibbs – 676 points
- Chris Buescher – 658 points
- Alex Bowman – 648 points
- Bubba Wallace – 637 points
- Ross Chastain – 631 points
- Joey Logano – 586 points
- Kyle Busch – 552 points
- Daniel Suárez – 527 points
- Chase Briscoe – 514 points
- Austin Cindric – 486 points
- Todd Gilliland – 480 points
- Carson Hocevar – 467 points
- Michael McDowell – 459 points
- Josh Berry – 448 points
- Noah Gragson – 426 points
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr – 404 points
- Erik Jones – 381 points
- Ryan Preece – 368 points
- Daniel Hemric – 365 points
- Austin Dillon – 360 points
- Justin Haley – 356 points
- John H. Nemechek – 343 points
- Corey LaJoie – 335 points
- Zane Smith – 316 points
- Harrison Burton – 306 points
- Kaz Grala – 166 points
- Cody Ware – 98 points
- Joey Hand – 43 points
- Jimmie Johnson – 39 points
- Derek Kraus – 32 points
- David Ragan – 17 points
- Kamui Kobayashi – 8 points
- Will Brown – 6 points
- Cam Waters – 2 points
