This Harrison Burton story involving a final-lap lead change that vaulted him from nowhere to the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs is a lot better than the one that had been dominating the headlines.
Burton, who had lost his ride with Wood Brothers Racing for 2025, didn’t need to wreck anybody to get the win in Daytona on Saturday night.
It was just good, clean racing that got Burton, the son of retired NASCAR veteran Jeff Burton, who was on the call for NBC’s coverage of the race, into the winner’s circle, and into the 2024 playoffs.
“I cried the whole victory lap,” Harrison Burton said after the race. “I, 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, and 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.”
Burton had been in 34th in the season standings going into Daytona, so far back that nobody was thinking about him when it came to the playoff breakdowns.
The win and automatic playoff berth definitely throws a wrench into the playoff possibilities for several on-the-bubble teams – with Martin Truex Jr., Ty Gibbs, Chris Buescher, Bubba Wallace and Ross Chastain in the mix for the final three spots at the regular-season finale at Darlington on Sunday.
Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champ Kyle Busch is well outside the playoff picture, but he was the leader going into the final lap at Daytona Saturday night, after a late restart that forced the race into overtime.
With Burton racing past him, aided by a push from Parker Retzlaff, Busch did what he could do, trying to pass Burton on the inside on the final turn, getting into Burton’s bumper and forcing Burton below the double yellow line in the process.
NASCAR officials ruled the contact caused Burton to cross the line and did not penalize him.
“Besides just flat-out wrecking him, there was nothing else I could do,” Busch said after the race.
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SVG signs with Trackhouse
Shane van Gisbergen, who made his name last year with a win on the Chicago road course, has landed a full-time ride, with Trackhouse Racing.
Van Gisbergen will be racing on the charter that Trackhouse bought from Stewart-Haas Racing in the #88 car.
“Obviously, the Chicago street race is kind of in his wheelhouse. But the rate of adaptability of everything else, just the competition, the restarts, the pit stops, the way you prepared for that race, man, this is a superstar,” team owner Justin Marks said.
Hamlin penalized over engine issue
The #11 team of Virginia native Denny Hamlin was hit with a 75-point penalty ahead of the Daytona race because Hamlin’s engine from the race at Bristol Motor Speedway that Hamlin had won in March was rebuilt by Toyota before NASCAR could tear it down and inspect it.
NASCAR also fined Hamlin’s crew chief, Chris Gabehart, $100,000.
“I’m certainly more in favor of just run the rules as they are,” said Hamlin, whose quest for a regular-season pretty much comes to an end with the points penalty. “This put a lot of people in some really hard positions for sure, but NASCAR did what was right and that was go by the rulebook.”
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