Should Harrison Burton Be on the Hot Seat?

Currently 30th in points, should Harrison Burton be on the hot seat at Wood Brothers Racing, or is it too early to tell?

Wyatt Watson: Harrison Burton has been abysmal in the No. 21. The three drivers who preceded him were so much better in that car. Ryan Blaney, the last driver to win with WBR, deserves the ride he has at Team Penske. Paul Menard would be consistent and bring the car home while running top 15 and 20 most of the time. Matt DiBenedetto was a step up from Menard, competing for multiple wins during his tenure and actually making the playoffs. Burton is most definitely on the hot seat. His performance in the iconic ride is a far cry from the past five years before he took over, and WBR should be looking hard into who should replace the driver. Zane Smith would be my pick, but since he’s under contract with Front Row Motorsports, I would either give Riley Herbst the nod or bring back DiBenedetto.

Steve Leffew: Burton finished the 2022 season with three consecutive top 20s. It looked like he might be starting to come around at the end of his rookie year. Fast forward to today, when Burton has just one top-20 finish. His seat is warming up by the week. NASCAR Cup Series rookies often need 100 races to hit their stride, but there should be signs of improvement along the way. Sponsorship will play a role in determining the future of the No. 21, but performance has to be a factor too. Smith is the elephant in the room; he is primed for promotion, and Burton could be the odd man out if he doesn’t take measurable steps forward during the regular season before Silly Season gets into full swing.

Chris Skala: It’s hard to argue no to this. Burton has one top five and two top 10s in 37 career starts. His lone top five was at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, which saw multiple late restarts and wrecks. His other top 10 was at Atlanta Motor Speedway in July 2022, which saw a big wreck on the last lap. Here’s the best part: Burton is only 17 points ahead of Chase Elliott in points after the race at Circuit of the Americas, and Elliott has only started two races this season. Smith is sitting there ready to go, and there is no question that he has outperformed Burton if you compare stats in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The worst part of this is Kyle Busch Motorsports, for whom Burton drove, had the best equipment in the series when Burton competed for it.

Luken Glover: Burton should definitely be on the hot seat,…