NASCAR
Harrison Burton Takes Wood Brothers to Victory Lane for 100th Time, Stuns Playoff Picture
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Pit road fires, multiple cars airborne, and a first-time winner for the ages are just a few of the high points from the Coke Zero Sugar 400. Harrison Burton finally takes the famed Wood Brothers Racing to victory lane for the 100th time in team history, earning his first career triumph on racing’s biggest stage. An all-time playoff upset also comes with this huge moment, putting the 23-year-old into his first Cup Series postseason.
Ford Mustangs were the class of the field all race long and held position for most of the night. Josh Berry and Joey Logano took the stage wins, only halted by one major accident on lap 61.
Attrition and airborne incidents defined the closing laps of this race, with Michael McDowell and then Josh Berry both taking major tumbles from the head of the pack. Both drivers were thankfully uninjured, but they had two of the biggest hits in recent memory.
With an overtime dash to the checkers on deck, Kyle Busch emerged from the chaos as the leader. The No. 8 Chevrolet in a must-win Playoff scenario initially got the jump on the restart, and held the lead at the white flag. Off of turn two however, the inside line broke up behind Busch. This loss of momentum allowed Burton to get a huge run and clear for the top spot in turn three. Despite some contact off of turn four, Burton just beat Busch back to the checkers for a massive underdog triumph.
“ I cried the whole victory lap,” Burton said. “Obviously got fired from this job. I wanted to do everything for the Wood Brothers that I could. They’ve given me an amazing opportunity in life. To get them 100 on my way out is amazing. We’re in the Playoffs now. Let’s go to Darlington and see what happens.”
“It’s amazing. It’s been the hardest three years of my life, obviously the hardest three years for some of these guys’ lives. To win the way we just did, beat the best in the business, Kyle Busch, across the line, it’s pretty fantastic.”
“I made a bet with Jeremy, my crew chief, that if we won, we’re staying here and driving home. We’ll be at a bar somewhere. Come find us (laughter). We’re going to celebrate this one.”
“My mom. My dad was pretty calm on the radio. My fiancée and mom are just crying. All of those people have been with me in the worst days of my life, best days. Good to get DEX Imaging to Victory Lane and get them another best day.”
Behind Burton and Busch at the finish were: Christopher Bell, Cody Ware, Ty Gibbs, Bubba Wallace, Parker Retzlaff, Brad Keselowski, Daniel Hemric, and Chris Buescher. Hear from a few of these drivers below.
Burton is the 13th different winner to lock up a Playoff spot, with only Darlington left to set the final three positions. Take a look at the Playoff standings following Daytona below.
It all comes down to Darlington to set the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff field. The 75th annual Cook Out Southern 500 goes green Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on USA, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Three drivers will leave Darlington happy with a championship chance, but many more will leave asking what could have been.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Sean Gardner/Getty Images
