The Daytona race was a whirlwind of drama and an unforgettable conclusion. With an unprecedented winner, it not only reshaped the NASCAR Playoffs but also delivered a monumental victory for the Wood Brothers. Ironically, this win comes just as Harrison Burton is set to move on in 2025. As Burton looks to make the most of his time in the top 16 before potentially heading back to Xfinity, Kevin Harvick has noticed a humility in him that’s truly intriguing.

Burton’s leap to the victory lane in Daytona

The crashes and the subsequent carnage during the Coke Zero Sugar 400 were all a build-up to the results that followed. Harrison Burton was somehow adequately placed on the field to avoid all the mess and, with some last-minute help from Parker Retzlaff, went right across the finish line. The biggest highlight of the race finish was he could hold off the likes of Kyle Busch and Christopher Bell to get that win.

Burton got his first-ever victory lane after three years [98 races] of insignificance in the Cup Series. The win also marked Wood Brother’s 100th victory in NCS. The chaotic last-lap dash of Burton got the Wood Brothers the victory it could only dream of by now after waiting six years for it. The last victory that WBR had in the premiere series was in 2017, garnered by Ryan Blaney.

The victory was amusing for most, including Kevin Harvick, as he detailed it on the Happy Hour with Kevin Harvick podcast: “What a moment for Harrison to be able to know that he’s going to get released in 2025 from the Wood Brothers but before he leaves, be able to get the Wood Brothers their 100 win for such a historic team.”

The win was too big for Harrison to go bonkers and celebrate his victory lap with maybe a burnout, but the #21 driver just wept through it, as he later admitted. Harvick further noted how Harrison looked like a pure reflection of his father, Jeff Burton, when the 24-year-old went around the lap waving at the fans. “And you see him here, his dad didn’t do many burnouts, if any, and you see his victory lap here waving to the crowd. So, Harrison’s a great kid, hasn’t been fortunate to have a lot of success in the first few years,” adds Harvick.

The future for Harrison Burton

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There is a lot more waiting for Harrison Burton beyond this year’s horizon. He has just got a pivotal race win that he can build upon. He could have been squandering for any number of reasons, but he did show up to the occasion in last weekend’s race, and he grabbed that win.

Now the young driver has the task of staying relevant in front of him. This race win was just a precursor to the kind of career he can have ahead of him. As Harvick said, “I think to be able to get to victory lane and get that confidence and be able to put all that behind him, and be able to start working forward is a huge accomplishment for him.”

Starting next year, Josh Berry will be taking over the #21 car, leaving Burton’s future uncertain. During his post-race interview, Burton touched on this. He said, “You never know when you have a chance to drive again. This could all fall apart tomorrow. This is such a privilege to do every weekend. even if you run in the truck series or the Xfinity series or late models, it’s just such a privilege to get to drive a race car.”

Even if Harrison is unable to secure a seat in NCS for 2025, going back to his Xfinity roots wouldn’t be a demotion, and we are certain he would dominate there before he makes a bang of an appearance in the premiere series.