“It’s Challenging”- Harrison Burton Unravels the Looming Pressure Over His Cup Series Seat After a Regressing Season

There is perhaps no team with more to prove in the 2024 Cup Series than Wood Brothers Racing. The Team Penske-affiliated team has trailed the reigning champions by quite a margin after finishing a dismal 31st in 2023. So as they enter their third year with Harrison Burton behind the wheel of the #21 Ford, the team is looking to make the most of this opportunity.

And evidently, the pressure is on Burton to get the team back to winning ways like Ryan Blaney did when he won at Pocono Raceway in 2017. With 2024 being a ‘do or die’ year for Burton, let’s take a look at how the Huntersville native is handling the intensity.

Changes within Wood Brothers Racing are a source of excitement for Harrison Burton

While the Team Penske drivers have walked away with both Championships in the same car as Harrison Burton, the Cup Series has not been as kind to the #21 driver. Not only did Burton begin the season by flipping and landing back on his wheels at the Daytona 500, but also only two top tens came from the entire season. So now that time is running out, if Burton wants to secure his future with the team he’s stated he’d love to work with for the next few seasons, the road is long and arduous.

In an interview with NASCAR Live, Burton went over what the experience so far has been like. “Definitely it’s been challenging, I don’t think I expected the Cup Series to be easy though,” he said. “So I think this off-season has been good for me in a way to kind of reevaluate with a new group of people and crew chief Jeremy Bullins now and new spotter Jason Jarrett, so I’m excited about those changes.”

While the momentum within Wood Brothers Racing had certainly lost its way last year, the addition of crew chief Jeremy Bullins should work wonders for Burton’s 2024 campaign. And now that the winter break is over, Burton reflected, “Excited to get to work with those guys and I feel like the off-season has been real good for us to try and kind of build and get going.”

Speaking of the winter break, Harrison felt it had played an immense part in giving the 2024 push a solid foundation. He added, “It’s kind of helped me step into a better role within the team and feel more confident and I’ve got a good group of people around me that believe in me. So the off-season has been cool to spend time with those people and now we’re ready to go racing.”

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With 2024 shaping up to be quite a crucial year for Burton, it’s safe to say the pressure is higher than ever. But for the man with two full-time seasons now under his belt, it’s not the pressure as much as the intensity that will be the challenge.

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Burton looks at the 2024 challenge as a positive test

When asked during the interview about how high the pressure is on Burton to deliver a fairytale season for Wood Brothers, the North Carolina native dismissed feeling any pressure at all. Instead, he had an optimistic outlook on the situation. He shared, “For me, it’s do or die so the intensity is high, pressure is not super high, I’m just used to it I guess at this point, I dont feel nervous, I dont feel worried. But the intensity level is high.”

After all, it’s only these vital years of foundation that will lead to Burton becoming a solid Cup Series driver. Given that his competition has years more worth of experience, his mentality showcases great signs for the future. He concluded, “Understanding what we have to go do is challenging and tough and hard. It is exciting but also definitely understanding that you have to do it this year, a little bit there’s some pressure there. But I think it’s good, it’s productive.”

So with Harrison Burton taking the 2024 challenge head-on, do you think Wood Brothers Racing will stick by the young gun’s side, or will this season be another disappointment?

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