In a stunning display at the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway, Harrison Burton, driving the No. 21 Ford for Wood Brothers Racing, clinched a thrilling victory. This has impacted the NASCAR playoff landscape hugely with just one race remaining before the championship. After the win, Burton had an emotional message for his fans.
Securing his first win in the Cup Series by merely 0.047 seconds over seasoned driver Kyle Busch, Burton’s triumph wasn’t just a race win for the driver—it marked a moment of profound personal redemption and a historic milestone for him and his team.
The race itself was a spectacle. With 16 leaders and an astounding 40 lead changes, the competition was fierce and interesting. Burton led only the final lap.
The event was also marred by a number of crashes, including a late-race clash that saw Josh Berry’s No. 4 Ford go airborne after contact with Austin Cindric’s No. 2 Ford, and a 14-car pileup earlier in the race that knocked several frontrunners out of contention.
Sean Gardner/Getty Images
Post-race, an emotional Burton shared his relief and joy:
“I cried the whole victory lap. Obviously got fired from this job. I wanted to do everything for the Wood Brothers that I could. They’ve given me an amazing opportunity in life. To get them 100 on my way out is amazing. We’re in the playoffs now. Let’s go to Darlington and see what happens.
“It’s been the hardest three years of my life, obviously the hardest three years for some of these guys’ lives. To win the way we just did, beat the best in the business, Kyle Busch, across the line, it’s pretty fantastic.”
This win secured the North Carolina driver an automatic berth in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs—remarkable considering he was outside the top 20 in points before this race.
The race also held implications for other drivers struggling to make the playoff cut. Bubba Wallace and Ross Chastain, despite finishing sixth and twelfth respectively, found themselves just short of playoff eligibility, adding to the intense pressure on their shoulders as they enter the regular-season finale at Darlington.
Berry, involved in one of the race’s more dramatic moments, was evaluated at the infield medical center and later reported:
“I’m all good, actually it probably wasn’t as bad as it looked. We had a helluva night going.
“We were in position and really proud of the job I did tonight and the team did tonight. We were in contention.”