Did you expect Harrison Burton to beat Kyle Busch after leading just one lap at the Coke Zero Sugar 400? The astonishing win has put a limelight on the driver who was recently “fired” from his team. As the young driver makes an unusual jump from 34th in the playoff standings to 13th, his father Jeff Burton had some wise words t0 share.

The former Richard Childress Racing driver was invited to Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, where they discussed Harrison’s maiden Cup Series victory. Having 21 victories in the Cup Series himself, Jeff was asked about the biggest challenges that a young driver would face coming into the sport. In response, the veteran said, “When you are working hard on your craft and your team is working hard on making you a better driver, there’s a danger in the focus being just on the driver being better when the car needs to be better too. Because no matter who drives the race car, a faster race car goes fast.”

And he’s not wrong. Just look at Kyle Busch, for example. As a two-time Cup Series champion, would you expect him to stay winless in a season? Unfortunately, the #8 driver is set to break a 19-year winning streak where he had at least one win every season. And time and again, the conversation has come down to his cars.

After his P35 finish at the World Wide Technology Speedway, the driver had lamented, “Our cars have not been that great right now. We’re working on it. I mean we’ve come to a lot of things of what we’re kind of learning about and figuring out. Last year, we were good. Like I joined RCR, we won three of the first 12, 15 races or something like that, it was pretty good and then we we haven’t won since. So it’s been a bit of a dry spell so we’re working on it.”

And now Senior Burton is singing the same tune: “You need to help build a better race car and be a better race car driver because the two go hand in hand.” However, he also added how learning from other drivers’ setups is a good idea, but copying theirs isn’t by stating, “If you have a teammate and your teammate is having success with a certain setup, that doesn’t mean it’s good for you.”

When it comes to NASCAR, stakes are high, especially when it comes to finances and sponsorship, which the two-time Coca-Cola 600 winner admitted. “The business side of things is a whole other story because those things are every bit as important as how fast you go.” As per Denny Hamlin, the yearly cost to put a single car can go up to $18 million. Now imagine  a small team like Wood Br0thers Racing having to shell out that money, and not even visiting Victory Lap. Where even teams like Hendrick Motorsports—with 217 race wins and 10 Cup Series championships since 2000—fail to make profit, Wood Brothers Racing was all but headed toward doom.

Recently, WBR president Jon Wood had also revealed how they were “just surviving” in the sport. Hence, it’s understand how Burton firing may have taken place.

However, having a father as a NASCAR driver, of course, has its benefits, and beyond a few words of advice on racing, let’s dive into the relationship between the duo.

Jeff Burton, the all-around mentor for his son, Harrison

There is no reason Harrison Burton should not enjoy the spotlight for winning the Coke Zero Sugar 400. After all, his father had 21 reasons to celebrate throughout his career in the Cup Series. The two share a strong love for racing and Harrison was obviously inspired by his father, who helped him in his early years. From the thrilling moments of climbing the racing ladder to the tough times during his first 97 series starts, Jeff has always been a source of support and wisdom.

Jeff Burton’s proud moment happened when he was watching the race from the NBC Sports broadcast booth. He headed down to the tri-oval grass in victory lane to cherish this moment. Harrison took 97 starts in the series to achieve a win, and that’s where Jeff’s mantra of “never quit” came in handy. The one piece of advice that Harrison got from his dad was, “Harrison, you’re a better racecar driver than you’re allowing yourself to be at the moment.”

It looks like Harrison finally understood what his dad meant and allowed himself a victory. Although Harrison won a race at Daytona, he is still to find a seat for next year as Wood Brothers Racing decided to drop him before his triumph. Considering that, where do you think Harrison Burton will be racing next year? Share your thoughts in the comments below.