Harrison Burton is set to part ways with Wood Brothers Racing at the conclusion of this season, but he expressed his joy in securing the team’s 100th Cup Series victory at Daytona on Sunday. Josh Berry, who currently pilots the No. 4 Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing, will take over Burton’s position at Wood Brothers Racing.
At just 23 years old, Burton has been driving the No. 21 Ford full-time for Wood Brothers Racing. His racing journey includes stints with Joe Gibbs Racing in the Xfinity Series and Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Truck Series.
Heading into Sunday’s race, Burton had only one top-10 finish from the GEICO 500 in April and faced four DNFs. Achieving the milestone of the team’s 100th Cup Series win provided a sense of closure for the young driver. In a recent interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, he shared his thoughts:
“I’m just so happy. I was really anxious about leaving this opportunity. I kept thinking about how losing this job could have gone differently… I was so worried about departing without helping them achieve their 100th win. How often does one get the chance to win the 100th race for the Wood Brothers?”
“They’ve been hovering around that 99 mark for ages,” Burton remarked. “When I first joined the team, that was the goal they set for me. Achieving that is incredibly rewarding. It gives me a sense of closure, and it truly means a lot to me.”
Burton is among the 13 drivers who have secured their playoff spots through victories. His next challenge is the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on September 1. The week after, he will make his playoff debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway on September 8.
Harrison Burton reflects on the last-lap boost from Parker Retzlaff
In the 160-lap race, Harrison Burton only led a single lap, thanks to Parker Retzlaff, who was behind the wheel of the No. 62 Chevrolet Camaro for Beard Motorsports in just his second Cup Series outing. Burton took advantage of the push from Retzlaff, which allowed him to overtake Kyle Busch for the lead.
“I can’t express enough gratitude for Parker Retzlaff and his performance in just his second Cup race,” Harrison Burton shared in the same interview. “He pushed me perfectly. I was all over the place, but he was wise enough to give me the room I needed to regain control.”
However, there are reports indicating that Retzlaff’s spotter advised him against assisting Burton. In relation to this, The Racing Underdogs shared on X (formerly Twitter):
A group of 62 team members was engaged in a discussion about assisting their “teammate,” the 8 car. They took a moment to step away from the radio communication between the crew chief and the spotter to strategize. Meanwhile, Parker positioned himself behind the 21 car, prompting the spotter to caution, “Do not push that 21 to a victory.”
Retzlaff competes full-time in the Xfinity Series for Jordan Anderson Racing, which has a technical partnership with Richard Childress Racing, the Cup Series team where Busch races. After the race concluded, a member of the No. 72 Beard Motorsports team was overheard saying, “We completely disregarded their instructions.” Harrison Burton is currently ranked 34th in the NASCAR Cup Series standings, accumulating 266 points. The Daytona victory marks the 23-year-old’s second top-10 finish in the 2024 season.
