Harrison Burton opens up on “unwavering support” of his family in good, bad, and the ugly

After clinching his first NASCAR Cup race, Harrison Burton took a moment to recognize the support from his inner circle, especially after a challenging year. Speaking on Kevin Harvick's "Happy Hour" podcast, Burton mentioned that while his father, Jeff isn't one to mince words, he has always stood firmly behind him.

Burton began his NASCAR Cup Series career in 2021, initially racing part-time for Gaunt Brothers Racing where he finished 21st in his only race that year. Since 2022, he has been with Wood Brothers Racing, securing a top-5 finish, six top-10s, and his first victory. Although Wood Brothers Racing has signed Josh Berry to take over the #21 Ford Mustang and Burton currently lacks a ride for next year, his win at Daytona marked the team's 100th victory.

With a single top-10 finish this season before Daytona, Burton was eager for a breakthrough. Following his victory at the Coke Zero Sugar 400, he expressed gratitude towards his family for their support during his most trying times.

"What's really been awesome is the unwavering support from them, right? And they've seen me in my darkest days, they've seen me in the good days, and sometimes more than I know myself that I'm capable of doing it. My dad has never been the type of dad to sugarcoat anything. [...] But with that being said he still always told me that he believed in me and that he knew I could do it and that he has seen me do it," Harrison Burton said.

"My mom dad, sister, fiancee - my kind of core people that are around me never, never gave up on me, never quit on me. And probably believed in me more than I did myself at times right, and sometimes that's what you need."

Harrison Burton has secured his spot in the playoffs and his performances could land him with a Cup team for the upcoming season.

---

Harrison Burton opens up about his bond with his father

Harrison Burton was thrilled about his first Cup win, and his father, Jeff who watched from the broadcast booth shared the joy. He stepped out of the booth to embrace his son and celebrate the victory. Jeff Burton notched 21 wins in NASCAR's premier series during his career.

Reflecting on the role his father played in his challenging year, Burton said [via NASCAR]:

"It was really special. I mean, I’ve spent a lot of time on the phone with him this year, spent a lot of time in person with him this year just trying to move forward in my career. And he was always trying to instill in me to never quit, and that was kind of the mantra for our entire team."

Despite currently ranking 34th on the standings behind Bubba Wallace and Kyle Busch, Burton has grabbed a spot in the round of 16 with his latest win.