"I know I can be a Cup driver": Harrison Burton gets real as former Wood Brothers Racing driver steps down to Xfinity Series

Harrison Burton recently opened up on his thoughts of keeping the grind intact as he returns to the Xfinity Series after his departure from NASCAR's premier division. The 24-year-old made headlines last season when he claimed his maiden Cup Series win at the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway, which propelled him into his first playoffs. Moreover, this win was recorded as the 100th win by the historic Wood Brothers Racing team.

Despite such results late in the 2024 season, WBR announced the decision to part ways with Burton. As a result, he stepped down the ladder and joined AM Racing, driving the No. 25 Ford.

In a recent interview, Harrison Burton, who has three full-time racing seasons of experience in the Cup Series, reflected on his move to the Xfinity Series.

“It was frustrating and not what I wanted it to be,” Burton said via NASCAR.com. “I made great, lifelong friendships and got a lot of good out of it. Got to be a much better race car driver from it. It just didn’t go as well as it needed to soon enough."

"I’m really motivated. I know that I can do it; I know I can be a Cup driver. That’s still my goal. I’ve got to rework my way up there, get an opportunity and go take advantage of it," added Harrison Burton.

Furthermore, he opened up about his expectations to perform well with the opportunity presented to him and capitalize on the same.

“My expectations are we’re going to perform well, win races and make the playoffs. That’s my goal and the mindset we all have to have," said Harrison Burton.

NASCAR: NASCAR Cup Series Championship - Source: Imagn

So far, Burton has kicked off his Xfinity campaign on a high note with two top-10 finishes and matching AM Racing's 2024 season record in the first two races.

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Harrison Burton said 'its healthy to be frustrated' after matching AM Racing's record

Harrison Burton started his third full-time NASCAR Xfinity schedule this season with AM Racing. His previous two seasons were with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2019 and 2020 and he racked up four wins with the team.

After an eventful race at last weekend's Atlanta Motor Speedway race, Burton weighed in on his two finishes for AM Racing

In a post-race conversation with Steven Taranto, he said:

"This is our own fresh start, our new race team's fresh start. And yes, it is a great sign of progress... To me it's about this year, it doesn't really matter about last year."

Burton continued:

"We've got the guys capable to win races, so I'm a little frustrated. I mean, I feel like I could have done a better job today, so that's frustrating me, but it's a good step forward and this is a healthy thing. It's not a I'm mad at the world, it's healthy to be frustrated when you're a competitor and you want more. So that's what we're going to keep doing and try to get better and try to win these races. We're capable of doing that."

Burton will return to action for the road course race at Circuit of the Americas on March 1.