Harrison Burton, the first 2000s decade-born driver to compete in NASCAR’s prestigious Cup Series, made his Cup Series debut in 2021 at the Talladega Superspeedway. Son of the two-time Coca-Cola 600 winner, Jeff Burton, Harrison Burton was then hired full-time by Wood Brothers Racing (having a technical alliance with Team Penske) for the 2022 season. Sticking with Wood Brothers racing for the 2023 season, Harrison Burton is driving the #21 Ford Mustang.
Harrison Burton in recent times was subjected to a lot of social media slander, and in a surprise turn of events, NASCAR’s favorite critic, Kaulig Racing spotter Brett Griffin, has come to Burton’s rescue.
Brett Griffin Shuts Down Suspicion Surrounding Jeff Burton’s Son
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Bagging a ride with the backing of NASCAR giant Roger Penske is no ordinary feat for a rookie, but Harrison Burton did just that. While Burton found a full-time ride with Team Penske’s technically allied counterpart, Wood Brothers Racing owing to his racing prowess, critics had other opinions. Having a feeling that Harrison Burton may have bought his way into the Cup Series with ‘daddy’s money’, critics proceeded to slander the #21 driver.
Unable to stand by and watch quietly, Brett Griffin decided to address the issue. Speaking in a recent episode of the Door Bumper Clear podcast, Griffin shut down the critics’ speculations, saying, “Here’s one thing I wanna help you people on social media with. Jeff Burton is not paying for Harrison Burton to drive at Penske Racing. Stop tweeting that stupid (expletive). Harrison Burton was recruited by Roger Penske to come and drive this car.”
“He was flown to Detroit, Michigan, to meet with Roger Penske without Jeff Burton. He was hired to drive this car. He has sponsors backing him. Stop tweeting that his daddy is paying for this ride because he is not. I just wanna help y’all not look so dumb, that’s all”, the Kaulig Racing spotter added.
Although hitching a full-time ride with the prestigious Team Penske counterpart, Harrison Burton’s 2023 season has been far from satisfactory.
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Is Harrison Burton’s Cup Series Run a Bust?
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Right from his Cup Series debut, Harrison Burton has run 55 races in total. Yet to win a race or even a pole, Burton only has three top-10 Cup Series finishes to his name. The 2023 season hasn’t been forgiving either for the #21 Wood Brothers Racing driver. Claiming a breakthrough 6th place finish at the 2023 Goodyear 400, for a brief moment it seemed Burton was now cementing himself as a top-10 driver. But things soon turned gloomy as he quickly started dropping spots.
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The 2️⃣1️⃣ loses control off of the corner! #QS400 pic.twitter.com/x6nkUKhEEA
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 9, 2023
Finishing in 18th at Charlotte, 23rd at Gateway, and 27th at both Sonoma and Nashville, Harrison Burton dropped all the way down to the 30th rank at Chicago. The recent Quaker State 400 race was no different for Jeff Burton’s son, as the #21 driver was the cause of the first caution, spinning out after losing control during the initial laps. Fortunately, Harrison Burton’s #21 suffered minimal damage, allowing him to finish at the 28th spot.
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Plagued by dissatisfactory performance this season, can Harrison Burton turn his luck around and move up from the 30th spot on the Cup Series standings?