Harrison Burton’s NASCAR Cup Series journey has been a mixed bag. Only in his third season with Wood Brothers Racing did Burton register his first win in the Cup Series. The 24-year-old showed immense skills in the drive, beating the likes of Kyle Busch to the checkered flag, after starting 20th on the grid. However, this victory came a month after a shocking decision that troubled Burton’s racing career.

In July 2024, Wood Brothers Racing announced Josh Berry to replace Burton in his number 21 car for the 2025 season. This decision left Burton and his fans shocked and in search of another opportunity. However, to outsiders, this made a lot more sense as Burton’s average finish for 2024 was 25.72, while his average start was 24, not much to gloat about there.

Amid his search for the next seat, Burton won the 2024 Daytona race in August. Not too long after the race, Burton decided to sign for AM Motorsports. He joined them to drive the vacant No. 15 team in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. However, ahead of his switch to NASCAR’s second-highest level, Burton gave a blunt self-assessment.

Harrison Burton opens up

In 2021 Harrison Burton signed a deal with Wood Brothers Racing to shift to the NASCAR Cup Series full time. He was handed David Pearson’s iconic number 21 Ford. However, by far Burton failed to live up to the expectations in his three years on the team. In 108 Cup races for Wood Brothers Racing, Burton amassed one win, two top-5, and six top-10 finishes.

Speaking about the same during the NASCAR Award event, via Sportsnaut, he said, “I obviously wanted to do more, sooner. I really think if I ran the way I did in the last half of the season, I keep my job but that’s part of racing. But racing is about performing when it matters, and early enough, before silly season starts, right.”

Despite losing his seat, Burton remains satisfied with his win at Daytona 2024. After over 100 race starts, Burton delivered an iconic performance in August to win the race. Speaking about it, Burton said that he understands that he was hired to win races.

“It was business. I can leave knowing that I got hired to win a Cup race with the Wood Brothers and to check that off, at Daytona of all places, was cool. To do it with that group, it’s hard to beat that. I live for that.” Burton’s win was not just any ordinary win, he drove his socks off at Daytona. Along with getting a friendly push from Parker Reztlaff on the backstretch, Burton drove with determination. He pulled off a last-lap overtake on two-time champion Kyle Busch in overtime to secure the win. “I can leave there, not feeling completely satisfied but partially satisfied because we won, for sure,” he said.

What to expect from Burton’s Xfinity Series comeback?

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Harrison Burton is not new to the NASCAR Xfinity Series. In his first full-time run in the Xfinity Series with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2020, Burton made a name for himself. Starting the season in blistering form, Burton secured a top-10 finish in each of his first ten races, including a win at Production Alliance Group 300 Auto Club Speedway in California. Burton ended the season with four wins and 15 top-5 finishes.

However, the winning dried up in 2021. Despite bagging ten top-5 and 22 top-10 finishes, Burton did not reach Victory Lane that season and moved up to the Cup Series the very next season. After three tumultuous seasons with Wood Brothers Racing, Burton is set to make a comeback in the second-highest level of American racing. He revealed what is expected from him in the 2025 season. He said, “It’s been fun. I’ve been a big part of trying to build the team. They look at me as a guy that has experience with all those great teams, who knows how they run things and accomplished a lot and I’m just trying to bring that to a young team.”

However, is it possible for Burton to have a smooth transition back to the Xfinity series? Speaking about it, he said, “I’ve seen the shop, and I met the people. I feel really good. There’s a lot of positive momentum and optimism. But it’s also the off-season and everyone feels that way, right? The true test will be when we get on the track.” Burton knows that confidence is key, but the real battle will begin when they start the engines at Daytona.

Burton will need all the help he can get to transition from a Cup Series environment to an Xfinity one and his crew chief has that experience. He will have Danny Efland as his crew chief in the 2025 season. Efland has experience driving in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, participating in 60 races between 2007 and 2013. Speaking about him, Burton had said, “I am looking forward to working with Danny next season. With his credentials as a successful engineer and experience as a race car driver, it should benefit our realistic goals of contending for race wins and chasing an Xfinity Series championship.”

With championship goals in sight, Burton seems to have a spring in his step, looking forward to 2025. How do you think Harrison Burton will perform with AM Racing?