NASCAR driver Harrison Burton claimed his first career Cup Series win last weekend at the iconic Daytona International Speedway, taking victory in the Coke Zero Sugar 400. The 23-year-old was witnessed sharing a heartwarming moment with his father following the end of the race.
Harrison Burton, son of NASCAR veteran Jeff Burton, began the Coke Zero Sugar 400 from P20. With just two laps remaining, a dramatic flip involving Josh Berry's #4 Ford brought out the caution, sending the race into overtime. When the white flag waved, Burton found himself in third. A timely push from Parker Retzlaff helped him overtake Kyle Busch's #8 Chevrolet, securing his first Cup Series victory by a razor-thin margin of 0.047 seconds.
Following his win, Jeff Burton rushed to the track from the commentators' box and shared a heartfelt moment with his son, as he joined his father as race winner in the Cup Series. In a recent episode of Kevin Harick's Happy Hour podcast, Burton reflected on the passion between the father-son duo and Jeff Burton's emotional outburst in the commentary box.
"Leigh(Diffey) did a great job and then he about got punched in the face for doing such a great job, he had my dad so excited up there,. It's funny man he was full of excitement mode and he (Diffey) didn't get injured but I was close to getting injured cause he got to me and punched me in the ribs so hard um I thought he broke my ribs" Harrison Burton said [04:43]
"I was like 'Why is that your move to punch me in the ribs like what is that celebration? But he was so excited, so amped up and I remember I grabbed him, hugged him and he punched me in the ribs and said 'That's why you never quit'. That's just my dad man, everything is a teaching moment, everything is a learning moment," Burton added [05:04]
Harrison Burton, currently driving the #21 Ford for Wood Brothers Racing in his third full-time Cup Series season, has clinched a spot in the 2024 playoffs. However, his future in NASCAR is uncertain, as WBR announced earlier this year that Josh Berry will replace him for the 2025 season, leaving Burton without a seat.
Harrison Burton opens up about what it means to mark 100th win for WBR
Besides winning his first Cup race, and joining the list of father-son duos that have achieved this feat, Harrison Burtons's win at Daytona made history for Wood Brothers Racing, marking the team's 100th win in the competition.
Burton expressed his feelings on grabbing the 100th win for WBR via an interview with Sirius XM radio:
"How often do you get that opportunity to win the 100th race for the Wood Brothers? They have been teetering on 99 for so long. When I first got hired that's what they told me they wanted me to do and to make that come true is just so cool. I can kind of have some closure in that way and just means a lot." Burton said
Burton has clinched a spot in the playoffs, and would now be looking to notch up performances that help prove his worth to help him land a seat for the 2025 season.