Harrison Burton passed Kyle Busch in overtime during a wild Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway, earning his first career victory in the NASCAR Cup Series’ Coke Zero Sugar 400 in Daytona Beach, Fla.
After side-by-side leaders Austin Cindric and Josh Berry wrecked with two laps to go — with Berry’s No. 4 Ford going airborne on the backstretch — for the seventh caution, Burton scored the legendary Wood Brothers their 100th career win by passing Busch on the backstretch, blocking his No. 8 off Turn 4 and edging him by 0.047 seconds.
It was Burton’s first win in 98 starts. It was announced recently that the 23-year-old, the son of former driver Jeff Burton, will not return to the iconic No. 21 in 2025.
Christopher Bell, Cody Ware and Ty Gibbs rounded out the top five in the 66th running of the summer race.
After posting the organization’s first time sweeping the top two qualifying spots, Front Row Motorsports’ Michael McDowell and Todd Gilliland led the field to the green for the 160-lap race.
In addition to the Front Row drivers, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Berry, William Byron and Cindric took turns in front before Berry led late in the 35-lap Stage 1.
Chris Buescher, last year’s 400 winner, made a strong push and shoved Berry out front on the final lap, and Berry hung on around the 2.5-mile superspeedway for his first segment win.
After pit service, Daniel Suarez’s No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet was engulfed in flames. That sent the Mexican driver back to the pits where he climbed out to safety while the team inspected melted pieces of his Camaro.
At least 18 cars were involved in the first of two Stage 2 wrecks on Lap 60 when Corey LaJoie, Noah Gragson and Ross Chastain triggered the race’s biggest crash on the famous Superstretch.
Two incidents occurred simultaneously when Erik Jones’ No. 43 lost a tire at the same time Shane van Gisbergen’s No. 16 engine expired, with the explosive motor sending smoke billowing above the flat backstretch.
Shortly after as the Fords flexed their muscle, Logano beat Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney to claim the second segment with Keselowski in third.
With 21 laps left and pit stops about to start, John Hunter Nemechek’s No. 42 spun after contact with Justin Haley in the No. 51 Ford. McDowell’s No. 34 was sent airborne in Turn 1 after a push from Cindric in the night’s biggest wreck, a 14-car melee, with nine laps to go.
–Field Level Media
