NASCAR Cup Daytona II

From dead last to playoff rival: How Harrison Burton shattered the points battle

Burton started Saturday's race last among all full-time Cup drivers in the championship standings, but his dramatic victory in Daytona changed everything.

Nick DeGroot

Edited: Aug 26, 2024, 7:35 PM

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Going into NASCAR's second-to-last race of the regular season at Daytona, Harrison Burton sat at 34th in the points among his full-time Cup competitors -- dead last. A solid battle between he and seasoned Cup veteran Kyle Busch, found Burton just ahead as they crossed the line with the checkered flag waving, etching his name in the history books. It's a win that also landed Burton a permanent, guaranteed spot in the 2024 NASCAR Cup playoffs, and has completely changed the fight to clinch the last of the guaranteed spots at the regular season finale at Darlington come Sunday.

Not too long ago, it wouldn't have been possible as NASCAR had a top-30 rule in place until after the 2022 season. No driver below 30th in points could not win their way into the playoffs, so Burton's victory would not have counted. However, times have changed.

Harrison Burton, Wood Brothers Racing, DEX Imaging Ford Mustang

Photo by: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images

13 spots are now spoken for while Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs hold somewhat comfortable points margins. Chris Buescher sits in the 16th and final spot, but with a 21-point buffer over Bubba Wallace, he needs to simply have an okay day at Darlington and he should be safe -- as long as there is no new winner.

Burton's victory essentially blew open the points battle around that bubble. Had a driver such as Christopher Bell managed to pull off the win at Daytona, the points battle would be far tighter right now. Wallace would be the driver in 16th, holding a six-point advantage over Ross Chastain. Instead, both drivers are facing a situation where they will likely have to win the Southern 500. These are two drivers who made the playoffs last year, and the last time Chastain wasn't a part of the postseason battle was 2021.

Bubba Wallace calls playoff predicament "unacceptable"

"You got one car fighting for a regular-season championship, and another car right on the bubble. Unacceptable," said Wallace after the Daytona race, referring to teammate Tyler Reddick, who currently leads the points standings.

The 23XI Racing driver was obviously disappointed. Burton is the fourth driver below him in points to win their way into the playoffs. It would have been five if Austin Dillon wasn't stripped of his playoff eligibility. "I'll take all that weight on my shoulders. Should have won multiple times this year and I haven't. We don't even deserve to be here and we are. Got to go win next week. That is it."

Chastain may be the most likely driver below the cut-line be in contention for a victory at Darlington. Although the No. 1 was only average earlier this year at the historic track, he has been a real threat in the years prior. He has two top-fives in the last three Southern 500s, and crashed while battling for the win in the 400-mile race there in early 2023.

Here's a detailed look at how the bubble changed after Burton captured the checkered flag:

Driver Current points margin Points without new winner at Daytona Martin Truex Jr. 14th: +58 points 13th: LOCKED IN Ty Gibbs 15th: +39 points 14th: +45 points Chris Buescher 16th: +21 points 15th: +27 points Bubba Wallace 17th: -21 points 16th: +6 points Ross Chastain 18th: -27 points 17th: -6 points

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