In a stunning showing at the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway, Harrison Burton, driving the No. 21 Ford for Wood Brothers Racing, claimed a thrilling victory that has had a huge impact on the NASCAR playoff landscape with just one race remaining for the championship. Following the win, Burton had an emotional message for his fans.

Burton claimed his first Cup Series victory by just 0.047 seconds over veteran driver Kyle Busch. Burton’s triumph was not only a race victory for the driver, it also marked a moment of profound personal redemption and a historic milestone for him and his team.

The race itself was a spectacle. With 16 leaders and an astonishing 40 lead changes, the competition was fierce and interesting. Burton only led the last lap.

The event was also marred by a number of crashes, including a late-race collision that sent Josh Berry’s No. 4 Ford airborne after contact with Austin Cindric’s No. 2 Ford. There was also a 14-car collision earlier in the race that knocked several front-runners out of the race.

After the race, an emotional Burton expressed his relief and joy:

“I cried the whole lap of honor. I’ve been fired from this job, of course. I wanted to do everything I could for the Wood Brothers. They’ve given me a great opportunity in life. For them to score 100 points on my way out is amazing. We’re in the play-offs now. Let’s go to Darlington and see what happens.

“It’s been the toughest three years of my life, and obviously the toughest three years of some of these guys’ lives. To win like we just did, to beat the best in the business, Kyle Busch, across the finish line, is just amazing.”

The win gave the North Carolina driver an automatic spot in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, which is notable considering he was outside the top 20 in the points standings before this race.

The race also had ramifications for other drivers who struggled to make the play-off cut. Bubba Wallace and Ross Chastain, despite finishing sixth and 12th respectively, fell just short of play-off qualification, adding to the pressure on their shoulders as they head into the regular season finale at Darlington.

Berry, involved in one of the race’s most dramatic moments, was examined at the infield medical centre and later reported:

“I’m totally fine, actually it probably wasn’t as bad as it seemed. We had a great night.

“We were in the right position and very proud of the work I did tonight and the team did tonight. We were in the race.”