(H/t to The Bard of Avon, the main man Willie Shakes.)
1. Harrison Burton is the Most Unlikely Playoff Qualifier Ever
It’s hard to overstate how unlikely it is that Harrison Burton is going to be racing for the championship in a few weeks. Yes, Daytona always looms as a place where Cinderella stories can come true, but there was absolutely no reason to think that the driver of the No. 21 was going to end up in victory lane.
Burton had never won a Cup Series race heading into Daytona, with his drought nearing 100 starts. He had already been told he was surplus to requirements for Wood Brothers Racing, so he had to be feeling some pressure about where he’d be plying his trade in 2025.
Beyond that, Burton entered the Coke Zero Sugar 400 last in points among all the drivers who had started every Cup Series event this year, so far behind points leader Tyler Reddick that it was hard to believe the deficit wasn’t a typo.
All of this suggests that Burton isn’t likely to do much once the postseason begins. There is a superspeedway race in the playoffs at Talladega Superspeedway, but he’d have to somehow make it out of the first round to get there, so … yeah.
But regardless of what happens next, Burton has made history as the least likely driver to ever win his way into the NASCAR playoffs, a distinction that will be difficult for anyone to take from him any time soon.
2. Thinking About This Sporting Event Will Help You Make More Sense of the NASCAR Playoffs
Of course before the confetti even had time to fully settle on Burton’s No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford, fans and observers came out of the woodwork to denigrate the NASCAR playoff system. It’s a little funny because hardly anyone seems to enjoy said system anyway, but when something like this happens, all of a sudden things like the ‘integrity’ of it are held up like they are somehow sacred.
There are two reasons why this debate, while entertaining, is kind of silly. The first is pretty simple: The NASCAR playoffs aren’t really like most pro sports playoffs in the first place.
The so-called stick and ball sports reward regular season consistency, then do a head-to-head battle over rounds to see…
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