Harrison Burton Captures A Thrilling Coke Zero Sugar 400

Daytona, Fl. (August 24th, 2024)

Harrison Burton captured a thrilling Coke Zero Sugar 400 over runner up Kyle Busch by a scant .047 seconds. Not only was this the first career NASCAR Cup Series win for the 23 year old driver, but it also gave team owners Wood Brothers Racing a historic 100^th victory. Indeed the high banks of Daytona International Speedway once again provided all the excitement, wrecks, and memorable wins for which it is known.

The first stage of the race saw the field bunched up and at times three rows deep. Lead changes were frequent  with Joey Logano, Chris Buescher, Ryan Blaney, Austin Cindric, and pole winner Michael McDowell taking turns at the front of the field. It seemed as though either no one wanted to take command of the race early or they were just biding their time. Ultimately the first stage was a drama free thirty five laps with Josh Berry nabbing the stage win.

With the all the teams coming onto pit row for fresh rubber and fuel it seemed as though the race would be a cool calculated event  based on how everyone had been driving. But the drama would soon start as the back of Daniel Suarez’s car was set ablaze as fuel that had spilled during his pit stop was ignited by another cars exhaust as it drove by. Thankfully, Suarez and his pit crew were fine, but his car was knocked out of the race on lap 37.

If you thought that stage two was going to be a replay of the first one, on lap sixty all hell broke loose. The No. 10 Stewart-Hass Racing Ford of Noah Gragson and the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet of Corey Lajoie made contact triggering a major incident that entangled sixteen other drivers including Daytona 500 winner William Byron and three time Daytona champ Denny Hamlin. Even the top three drivers in the seasons points standing Tyler Reddick, Chase Elliot, and Kyle Larson were unable to escape the wreck. Ultimately this incident knocked Gragson, Elliot, Hamlin, and Ryan Preece from the race. The stage ended with Joey Logano winning it.

With the race now in its final phase, things were taught in the field. All the cars were three abreast on the track and no one was giving an inch. With the field bunched up as tight as they were and going  fast as well, it was only a matter of time before something would happen. With a scant nine laps remaining in the race, pole winner and race leader Michael McDowell was tapped from behind by Ryan Blaney as they were coming out of turn 2. McDowell went sideways and started to go airborne but landed on his wheels sideways. Front runner Joey Logano had the bad luck of being in the wrong place at the wrong time wrecking heavily into McDowell ending both of their races.

A total of fourteen cars were involved in crash including  Justin Haley, points leader Tyler Reddick and Kyle Larson. Bubba Wallace, who is in a tight points battle for the final spot in the playoffs, was able to bring his car back to the pits. The 23XI crew was able to make quick repairs to the stricken car so he could get back into the action. He ultimately finished sixth in the race but wasn’t able to gain enough points to guarantee a playoff spot.

With the track cleaned up and the race restarted, the complexion had completely changed. Virtually all the early race leaders and front runners had been eliminated and all but five cars had been involved in some type of incident. With the race dwindling all eyes were on the finish line. On the penultimate lap once again another incident completely changed the race. On the backstretch, race leader Autin Cindric in the No. 2 Team Penske Ford  was pushed from behind causing him to veer into Josh Berry and his No. 4 Stewart – Haas Racing Ford who was behind him on the low line. The impact caused Berry’s Ford to flip over onto its roof.

Thankfully, Berry was ok and able to extricate himself from the car along with some help from the safety team. After the race Berry would say “I’m Bummed. 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.”  Referencing the stage win in the race as well as leading eight laps and being in contention for an overall win of the race.

With the race now down to overtime,  Harrison Burton and Kyle Busch found themselves at the front of the field with Busch just ahead. As the field came around to finally take the white flag, no matter what happened whoever crossed the finish line next would nab the race win. On the backstretch Parker Retzlaff starting just his second ever NASCAR Cup Race , gave Burton a big push allowing Burton to not only pull alongside Busch but past him. With no one giving Busch any assistance, all he could do was keep things close.

Ultimately though Harrison Burton was able to capture the checkered flag by a fraction of a second. Afterwards he said, “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.”

Pre-Race Notes:

Before the race, Lit the American rock band  and platinum recording artist wowed the crowd with a hit filled concert. Not only did they play some of their biggest hits such as “My Own Worst Enemy” and “Miserable”, but they wowed the crowd with covers of Tom Petty’s “American Girl” and “Let’s  Go” by the cars. This definitely added to the whole experience for fans as they were able to catch the show as it was held right on the grassy area between pit road and the front straight.

Waving the green flag and starting the race would be Bobby Finke,  Florida native and winner of the Gold medal in the 1500 meter freestyle swim in a world record time at the Paris Olympics.

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