Harrison Burton Gives Update On NASCAR Future As Wood Brothers Racing Contract Expiry Looms

Harrison Burton’s NASCAR has spoken about his future in the sport as he prepares to leave Wood Brothers Racing.

His win at the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway not only catapulted him into the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs but also landed him in the spotlight as Wood Brothers Racing celebrated their 100th victory.

As Burton’s contract with Wood Brothers Racing winds down, the 23-year-old racer remains optimistic about his forthcoming opportunities. During a celebratory event at the Wood Brothers shop in Mooresville, North Carolina, Burton shared his thoughts on his future within NASCAR. He explained, as quoted by NASCAR.com:

“I think I’ll be a race car driver next year, so that’s great.

“I don’t know where exactly, or what series — I don’t know. I think it’s all fluid.

“I feel like [I’m getting] close to where I feel good about a couple things. I feel like I’m in a place now where the places I’m going to go in the future want me and genuinely want me as a race car driver to go and help them try to win races.”

The Daytona victory was particularly dramatic as Burton overtook Kyle Busch on the final lap, securing the win by a mere 0.047 seconds. The thrilling finish garnered widespread attention, drawing praise for broadcaster Leigh Diffey’s exhilarating call of the race.

“Not [rewatched the win] a ton, honestly, mostly ’cause I hate the way my voice sounds on my radio when I scream.

“I don’t know why — it just bothers me …

“[Broadcaster] Leigh Diffey had a pretty awesome call of it. He’s like setting up the Kyle Busch story, ‘He hasn’t won since 2008,’ and then it’s like, ‘Here comes Harrison Burton out of nowhere.’ That was cool.”

This race also highlighted a personal moment for Burton, as his father, Jeff Burton, was in the broadcast booth as an analyst for NBC Sports. Harrison fondly noted:

“I did like to listen a few times to see what my dad said, and he was pretty quiet up there, which is typical of my dad in the booth whenever I’m racing.

“He tries very hard to be unbiased.

“Then I see the video of him muting his mic and almost punching Leigh Diffey, fist-pumping.”

Burton’s impending free agency comes at a crucial time, as NASCAR heads into the 2024-25 “Silly Season.”

NASCAR Cup Series: Current Standings

1. Tyler Reddick – 823 points
2. Kyle Larson – 806 points
3. Chase Elliott – 805 points
4. Ryan Blaney – 755 points
5. William Byron – 743 points
6. Christopher Bell – 737 points
7. Brad Keselowski – 718 points
8. Denny Hamlin – 712 points
9. Martin Truex Jr – 695 points
10. Ty Gibbs – 676 points
11. Chris Buescher – 658 points
12. Alex Bowman – 648 points
13. Bubba Wallace – 637 points
14. Ross Chastain – 631 points
15. Joey Logano – 586 points
16. Kyle Busch – 552 points
17. Daniel Suárez – 527 points
18. Chase Briscoe – 514 points
19. Austin Cindric – 486 points
20. Todd Gilliland – 480 points
21. Carson Hocevar – 467 points
22. Michael McDowell – 459 points
23. Josh Berry – 448 points
24. Noah Gragson – 426 points
25. Ricky Stenhouse Jr – 404 points
26. Erik Jones – 381 points
27. Ryan Preece – 368 points
28. Daniel Hemric – 365 points
29. Austin Dillon – 360 points
30. Justin Haley – 356 points
31. John H. Nemechek – 343 points
32. Corey LaJoie – 335 points
33. Zane Smith – 316 points
34. Harrison Burton – 306 points
35. Kaz Grala – 166 points
36. Cody Ware – 98 points
37. Joey Hand – 43 points
38. Jimmie Johnson – 39 points
39. Derek Kraus – 32 points
40. David Ragan – 17 points
41. Kamui Kobayashi – 8 points
42. Will Brown – 6 points
43. Cam Waters – 2 points