NASCAR fans deliver resounding verdict on Daytona race won by Harrison Burton

According to Jeff Gluck, the majority of NASCAR fans savored the Daytona race triumphed by Harrison Burton. Motorsports reporter Gluck shared fans' opinions on the race with Sunday's race getting a hugely positive response verdict. The 2024 Coke Zero Sugar 400 was the second-highest polling Daytona race from among 16 enlisted in the poll.

The 25th regular season Cup Series race kicked off with Michael McDowell in the lead, but Stages 1 and 2 were won by Josh Berry and Joey Logano, respectively. The two "Big Ones" in stage two and the final stage reset the field, putting Kyle Busch's #8 Chevy and Burton's #21 Ford on the front row during the final overtime restart.

The Richard Childress Racing driver led the restart and was on the verge of punching his playoff ticket. However, Wood Brothers Racing’s Burton dethroned the former by 0.047 seconds after taking the lead with just half a lap to go.

The fans cherished the 164-lap thriller. Gluck shared a post on X(formerly known as Twitter), saying that 90.2 % of the fans voted "yes" for Daytona being a good race, making it the second-most loved battle on the 2.5-mile track, among 16 at the same venue. The 2023 Coke Zero Sugar 400, triumphed by Chris Buescher, boasts the highest rating of 91.1%, according to Gluck.

"Was Daytona a good race? 90.2% of you said Yes. Ranks No. 2 out of 16 Daytona races in the poll (only last year's fall race was higher at 91.1%). Fifth race in the 90+% Club this season. That's tied for P2 among the seasons polled (2016-present). Record is seven in 2022," Gluck said.

Meanwhile, the Daytona race saw another opportunity drop from Busch's hands and he's in a must-win situation to secure the playoffs. Otherwise, it would be the first time since his full-time debut in 2005 that the two-time Cup Series champion will be absent from the championship fight.

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“I cried the whole victory lap”: Harrison Burton on his first-ever Cup Series triumph

Harrison Burton, son of 21x Cup Series race winner Jeff Burton, debuted full-time in NASCAR's premier level in 2022. Since then, he has collected two top-5s and six top-10s but was shy of a race win before his recent Daytona weekend.

A victory didn't look to be on the cards for the WBR driver but late-race chaos favored his #21 Ford. After capitalizing on the final lap push by Parker Retzlaff, Burton gunned towards the checkered flag. On the other hand, the driver behind Kyle Busch, Christopher Bell “squirreled“ behind and "completely killed the bottom lane," leaving the RCR driver reliant on his own draft.

After emerging victorious, Burton shared his feelings and said (via NASCAR):

“I cried the whole victory lap. I obviously got fired from this job and wanted to do everything for the Wood Brothers I could, they’ve given me an amazing opportunity in life and to give them the 100th [win] on my way out is amazing. We’re in the playoffs now. Let’s go to Darlington and see what happens.”

Burton will be replaced by Josh Berry in 2025 and the former is yet to secure his future Cup Series seat.