Official Site Of NASCAR
NASCAR CUP SERIES
Darlington Turning Point: Harrison Burton’s future; incoming drama in regular-season finale?
By Pat DeCola
NASCAR.com
Published: 2 days ago
7 Minute Read
fans in stands at darlington
Here’s what’s happening in the world of NASCAR with Daytona in the rearview and Darlington (Sun., 6 p.m. ET, USA) up next.
THE LINEUP ️
1️⃣ OK, he’s in – but what’s next for Harrison Burton?
2️⃣ Southern 500 finale … what more could you ask for?
3️⃣ Has Kyle Busch forgotten how to speedway race?
4️⃣ Keeping it a buck – it takes about 100
5️⃣ Catch the pack — news and notes from around the garage
harrison burton high fives fans
1. OK, he’s in – but what’s next for Harrison Burton?
NASCAR’s newest first-time winner finds himself in the unique position of competing for a championship in this year’s playoffs … for the team that fired him last month.
Out of a job, but into the playoffs.
It’s almost hard to grasp Harrison Burton’s past few months, seeing his team choose its “obvious” driver of the future — a driver other than him — based on performance, then delivering a landmark, 100th victory to NASCAR’s most historic team to clinch a postseason berth and elevate the organization’s outlook for years to come.
Not only did Burton’s victory mark the largest playoff deficit overcome in history, his win — the first for Wood Brothers Racing since 2017 — came at a pivotal point in the 23-year-old’s racing career, with just 11 races remaining before he faces the great unknowns of free agency, with most available competitive rides already snatched up.
Few, if any, expected the North Carolina native to be a factor the rest of the way after WBR anointed Josh Berry the new pilot of the No. 21 Ford last month. Yet, here we are, now wondering what Burton’s prospects might be for both his postseason push and pending plans for 2025.
Leave a Reply