Hall of Famer Carl Edwards ‘has fallen in love with NASCAR again’ after Harrison Burton’s Daytona win
Harrison Burton won an impressive race in Daytona after being announced that he would not be racing with WBR next year.
Harrison Burton and Carl Edwards (Via IMAGO)
While the debate regarding the Cup Series race revolved around yesterday’s Round of 12 race in Kansas, a former NASCAR driver Carl Edwards is still stuck on the race that took place a month ago. The race in second race Daytona was criticized after Harrison Burton pulled of an historic yet upset win and secure his berth in the playoff, while being outside the top 30 in points. While it affective many fans negatively, for Edwards it was special.
Until the Daytona race, Harrison Burton had a torrid 2024 campaign. He had a solitary top-10 finish, which he earned back in Talladega at the start of the season. Witnessing his plateauing form, WBR decided to not renew his contract for the 2025 season and opted to sign Josh Berry instead. This left the 23-year-old only a few races to prove his worth to the NASCAR sphere, and he grabbed this opportunity with both hands at the Coke Zero Sugar 400.
The No.21 driver fended off NASCAR veteran and two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch in his pursuit of victory. His win was an unpredictable spanner in the works which shook the racing fanbase. NASCAR Hall of Famer Carl Edwards was also watching the race from his TV set at his home. He explained how Burton’s win had made the atmosphere in his room surreal. This reignited his love for the sport again and deemed such moments to be the reason why fans pool in numbers to watch races.
Carl Edwards says he's re-fallen in love with NASCAR recently, and describes the emotional scene in his household watching the end of the summer Daytona race.
— Eric Estepp (@EricEstepp17) September 29, 2024
I'm sure a lot of fans can relate. pic.twitter.com/jzSPdkzY8e
We’re watching the end of this race and when Harrison Burton won that race, I mean the tension in the room was amazing, it was exciting. When I look over my wife’s got tears in her eyes, my son is pumped, and I thought man, that’s what NASCAR is about. So, it gives me chills here talking about it, but when I say when we fall in with a sport to see it, the way I’ve been seeing lately is pretty exciting for me.
Carl Edwards told Eric Estepp.
Where does Harrison Burton’s future lie in the NASCAR world?
Though winning a race guaranteed WBR a large chunk of money as he would at least finish 16th in the standings, his efforts were forgotten overnight in the grand scheme of things. Thus, he was not approached by another Cup Series team and took matters into his own hands to carve the path for his racing future.
Recently, the Ford driver revealed that he would be joining AM Racing in the Xfinity Series for 2025. He stated that he was content with his future move and aimed to utilize his learnings from the Cup Series into the feeder series to help him win races and make the North Carolina-based team a regular contender for the wins.
I’m excited to join AM Racing and help build it into the race-winning race team I believe it can and will be. I think this will be a great opportunity for me to take the things I’ve learned in the Cup Series, bring those to the Xfinity Series and be the best driver I can be. It’s a blessing to continue my NASCAR journey, and I intend to make the most of this opportunity.
Harrison Burton said in the press release by AM Racing
On the contrary, many still reckon his move to Xfinity Series a demotion. Regardless of the chatter, the 23-year-old is committed to making the most out of his potential and give his all in the Xfinity Series next year.
Geetansh Pasricha
(561 Articles Published)