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Newsweek
a day ago
- Automotive
- Newsweek
Harrison Burton Opens Up On WBR Relationship After NASCAR Cup Series Exit
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. NASCAR driver Harrison Burton has spoken about his relationship with Wood Brothers Racing following his exit from the team at the end of the 2024 season, insisting that he still has a strong connection with the team. The team announced in July 2024 that the 24-year-old driver would be replaced by Josh Berry in 2025, despite later clinching his first career Cup Series win at the Daytona summer race. As a result, Burton now competes full-time in the Xfinity Series with AM Racing, driving the No. 25 Ford Mustang Dark Horse. Speaking about his relationship with Wood Brothers Racing following his exit, Burton explained on SpeedFreaks: "That's something that I think is one of my biggest strengths. Harrison Burton, driver of the #25 Dead On Tools/DEX Imaging Ford, looks on during qualifying for the NASCAR Xfinity Series BetMGM 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 24, 2025 in Concord, North Carolina. Harrison Burton, driver of the #25 Dead On Tools/DEX Imaging Ford, looks on during qualifying for the NASCAR Xfinity Series BetMGM 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 24, 2025 in Concord, North Carolina."I was so lucky to have a great relationship with everyone at the Wood Brothers that there was no bad feeling. They truly care about me. "I mean they still send me stuff — it's their 75th season — or Leonard Wood built me [a radio-controlled] car, as well. I just have a great relationship with that group, so it made it a way less bitter taste in my mouth." Effectively stepping down from the Cup to the Xfinity Series, Burton is using the opportunity to come back to the top series stronger. He added: "It was really to me about self-reflection and what I can do to be better, and I feel I'm doing those things to be better and it's starting to show in the AM Racing team. "We're turning that program around which I'm super excited about. We've got the right people over there. Obviously, for me, it's all been about moving forward and what's next. "That's been the biggest weapon of mine and I've raced the best drivers in the world for the past three years, so I've learned a lot and I feel I can take that with me to the future and hopefully when I get back to the Cup Series, I'll be ready to go again and understand and fire off with some pace."
Fox News
07-05-2025
- Automotive
- Fox News
NASCAR's Harrison Burton talks move to Xfinity Series, appearance in Netflix documentary
Join Fox News for access to this content Plus special access to select articles and other premium content with your account - free of charge. By entering your email and pushing continue, you are agreeing to Fox News' Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive. Please enter a valid email address. Having trouble? Click here. The 2024 season was one Harrison Burton would like to forget about quickly. The 24-year-old NASCAR driver finished 16th in the Cup standings, leading to his departure from Wood Brothers Racing. He did have a win at Daytona International in the Coke Zero 400, but as he put it, "by that point, it's too late." That win was just one of his two top-10 finishes last season, but with a fresh start in the Xfinity Series, Burton has found it again. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON This season, now as a member of AM Racing, he already has six top-10s, including each of his last three races. "That was the best landing spot for me to be a better racecar driver, go to a team that really was rebuilding from square one," Burton told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. "They saw a vision to rebuild around me and had to put the ball in my court and said, 'hey, if you want to drive for us, we'll kind of help put a team together that you are a part of.' So that was really fun for me to kind of build this thing up and take a team like AM Racing that had all the want and will in the world to go contend and lead and run well. "Right now, we're sitting inside the playoffs, we're starting to get some momentum going, and I think it'll just get better and better and better. So it was a great opportunity to kind of go back, rebuild up my stock a little bit." NASCAR POWER RANKINGS: JOEY LOGANO DOES TEXAS TWO-STEP ONTO THE LIST Fans now have an opportunity to get a closer look at Burton, as he's featured in Netflix's "Full Speed," which, like "Drive to Survive" and "Full Swing," gives a full behind-the-scenes look at the ins and outs of NASCAR and its athletes. "Just the concept and idea behind 'Full Speed' is something that when I heard the first season was coming out, it was super cool and I think good for our sport and good to get more knowledge about what we do out there and the people that are in our sport out there and all that was awesome," Burton said. "The thing that's so hard to explain to people is if I pick up a football or basketball, I know I'm not an NFL or NBA guy – it's apparent pretty quick. There's no racecar for you to go drive to see what we do. And so, the best way to kind of explain it and do all that is get the media out there and get an inside look at what it's really like, and I think that is super cool and what's a good opportunity about this documentary in general." Now, Burton wants fans to see him inside the winner's circle again. Of course, that is not easy in NASCAR, with fields of dozens of drivers, and only one of them truly happy every Sunday. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "It's hard. It's such a hard mental battle, right? It's like golf in that way where, you know, you've got all these other people, and you're not 50-50 odds to win the game. You're one in 40, maybe even longer depending on the day. It's tough," Burton said. "It's always hard to evaluate [success], but the biggest thing for me is progress. "Did I get better? Did I do a better job here? Am I a better racecar driver going into next year? Everyone wants to win, but it's about, what are you going to do to win? What are the sacrifices you're going to make or the work you're going to put in to win? There's no blueprint to success other than that. That's the biggest thing. and what is, you know, the sacrifices you're gonna make or the work you're gonna put in to win? That's the biggest thing." Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter .
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Harrison Burton motivated to maximize Xfinity Series return
As Harrison Burton explains, when a race car driver gets the opportunity to jump to the NASCAR Cup Series, they take the risk because that chance might not come again. For the last three seasons, Burton experienced the waves of emotions that come with being a Cup competitor. The pinnacle was scoring Wood Brothers Racing's 100th victory last summer at Daytona International Speedway. The pit was having an average finishing position south of 24th in a Team Penske-affiliated ride. RELATED: | Burton doesn't regret moving to Cup at 21 years old. He knew it would have its peaks and valleys. 'It was frustrating and not what I wanted it to be,' Burton told 'I made great, lifelong friendships and got a lot of good out of it. Got to be a much better race car driver from it. It just didn't go as well as it needed to soon enough.' Now, Burton is back in the Xfinity Series with AM Racing and trying to work his way back up to the Cup ranks. He's off to a fast start early in the season, being the only Xfinity driver to have consecutive top-10 finishes to start 2025. Burton sits sixth in the standings. 'I'm really motivated. I know that I can do it; I know I can be a Cup driver,' Burton said. 'That's still my goal. I've got to rework my way up there, get an opportunity and go take advantage of it.' Having been around racing since he was born and watching his father Jeff Burton have success, Burton knows the demands it takes to be a high-level driver. However, he didn't realize how much of a challenge it would be jumping from Xfinity to Cup. And when the results aren't there, it weighs on drivers. Burton had six top-10 finishes in 108 starts as a full-time Cup competitor. 'It's hard because drivers are egomaniacs,' Burton said. 'You want to be the fastest guy, walk in with your chest poked out. When that doesn't happen immediately, it's easy to let doubts creep into your head. For me, as time progressed, I got better about that and got more confident. It took some time for me to get there and feel like I belonged. Winning helped with that feeling, and I think it will carry into this season with AM Racing.' When AM Racing got wind that Burton would be a free agent for 2025, Wade Moore, president of AM, reached out directly to Jon Wood, president and co-owner of the Wood Brothers. Having been a tire carrier for years in the Penske pipeline, Moore had a relationship with Wood as he helped deliver the team its 99th victory in 2017 at Pocono Raceway with Ryan Blaney. Moore sent a text to Wood, who was mowing his lawn but still fired back immediately. Within five minutes, Wood started a group chat with himself, Moore and Burton. Within 25 minutes of the initial text, Moore was on the phone with Burton for 45 minutes. An hour-long phone call with both Harrison and Jeff came after. AM had its new driver. 'It's strange how these things happened, but it's a full-circle deal for us because I spent a lot of time with the Wood Brothers and absolutely loved working for that family and being a part of that race team,' Moore said. 'Now, being able to work with them again and bring Harrison over here to our program, it's pretty gratifying.' RELATED: | To sign a driver of Burton's caliber was important for AM. The single-car team was coming off a year in which Hailie Deegan departed the organization halfway through the season. The second half of 2024 was split among six drivers. 'You hear the word 'rebuilding' a lot, more so in stick-and-ball sports, but essentially, that's what we've done,' Moore said of his 2025 outlook. 'We took an opportunity that wasn't fun in the middle of the year last year to begin that reset. When we decided to do that, we wanted to focus on talent and chemistry.' But the opportunity with AM also presented a new challenge for Burton, where he would become a key element in building a team. Ultimately, he believes that can raise his value. 'We're not Joe Gibbs Racing, but I think we have what you need to run well,' Burton stated. 'As a driver, if you put me in a position where I'm running well at the end of the race, I feel like I can capitalize on that. Going somewhere where I was actually wanted and it wasn't, 'We would love to have you, but how much money can you bring?' It was, 'We can hire you and figure out the rest.' 'All of those things put together, along with me being able to build something from scratch with this group, is something I'm excited about. It's an interesting opportunity for me to find out about myself and how I can help lead this team and grow into a better driver.' With a technical alliance with Haas Factory Team, expectations are high for AM Racing in 2025. Burton is a four-time winner at the Xfinity Series level and has proven he can get it done. 'My expectations are we're going to perform well, win races and make the playoffs,' he said. 'That's my goal and the mindset we all have to have. It is a very deep driver class, there are a lot of great teams with a lot of cars. It's going to be a challenge, but that's what it's supposed to be; it's supposed to be hard. That's what makes racing special to me.'
