Daytona delivered on the drama Saturday evening when Harrison Burton surged forward within the No. 21 Wooden Brothers Racing Ford to out-duel Kyle Busch and win his means into the 2024 playoffs.
Parker Retzlaff shoved Burton forward on the ultimate lap, clearing the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. He then blocked aggressively, crossing the end line and at last changing into a winner within the NASCAR Cup Sequence after 98 profession begins.
The Wooden Brothers are parting methods with Burton on the conclusion of the 2024 season, and the 23-year-old was very emotional in his post-race interview.
“I do not know! I cried the entire victory lap,” mentioned an exasperated Burton. “Clearly received fired from this job. I needed to do every part I may for the Wooden Brothers. They’ve given me an incredible alternative in life. To get them 100 (wins) on my means out … it is superb. We’re within the playoffs now!”
He then added: “It is superb. It has been the toughest three years of my life. Clearly the toughest three years for a few of these guys’ lives. To win in the best way we simply did, to beat the perfect within the enterprise Kyle Busch throughout the road. It is fairly implausible.”
The Wooden Brothers, which have competed in NASCAR since 1953, however have not visited Victory Lane since Pocono in 2017.
Busch completed second, Christopher Bell third, Cody Ware fourth, and Ty Gibbs fifth. Bubba Wallace, Parker Retzlaff, Brad Keselowski, Daniel Hemric, and Chris Buescher rounded out the top-ten.
The victory utterly adjustments the playoff image, placing Bubba Wallace 21 factors and Ross Chastain 27 factors down with Chris Buescher now holding the sixteenth and ultimate spot.
The race featured 40 lead adjustments between 16 drivers, however was additionally slowed by seven cautions and one purple flag stoppage. Each stage winners [Berry and Joey Logano] failed to complete the race after crashing out.
The ultimate laps of the race have been nothing in need of pure chaos. A late-race warning simply earlier than gren-flag pitstops arrange a dash to the end. Michael McDowell received turned from the lead and went airborne in the course of the sector. Fortunately, the automobile slammed again onto its wheels.
Sadly, Josh Berry was the subsequent driver to go spinning from the lead and issues weren’t far worse. He flipped the wrong way up in one other blow-over crash, slamming the within wall and spinning like a high whereas on its roof. He climbed from the automobile with out harm.
