What would be the best ride for Harrison Burton in 2025?
Mark Kristl: Sign a multi-year deal with AM Racing to grow its NASCAR Xfinity Series program. Harrison Burton has more Xfinity wins than Hailie Deegan. He is experienced like Deegan’s predecessor Brett Moffitt and he would remain in the Ford family. Burton is almost 24 years old. He still can have a bright future in NASCAR. Ford ought to entrust he will follow a similar trajectory as Cole Custer. Drop back down to Xfinity, compete for wins, the championship and bolster your NASCAR Cup Series stock and return a better racecar driver. AM would benefit from Burton’s funding and he would help the team grow its program too.
Luken Glover: What a difference a win makes. Before Burton’s Cinderella win at Daytona International Speedway, his options to stay in the Cup Series or even a top ride in the Xfinity Series were few. Now, while he still has work to do this season, the win is hard to ignore. A Cup ride is likely not in the cards given his all-around struggles since joining Wood Brothers Racing, so an Xfinity ride would be the best fit to gain more confidence and experience.
With Joe Gibbs Racing likely having multiple openings next season, plus Burton’s sponsorship money, a potential reunion could be an option. The other team I’d keep an eye on is RSS Racing if Burton stays with Ford. While the team isn’t a weekly contender for wins, it has been making strides, and bringing in Burton could continue to help the team build.
James Krause: The win at Daytona didn’t save Burton from being out of a Cup ride in 2025, but it opens him up to better options in Xfinity. The best available ride for Burton might be with JGR to replace the departing Sheldon Creed as a full-time driver. Then again, there’s a real possibility that Team Penske and Ford will try to retain Burton in their stable. In that case, I wouldn’t be shocked if Penske dips its toes back into the Xfinity waters with a full-time ride for Burton.
Does anyone below the Cup cut line make the playoffs?
Glover: For a driver on the outside looking in to make the playoffs, it’s going to take a win. Could Bubba Wallace or Ross Chastain point their way in? Theoretically, yes. However, that has proven extremely difficult in this format, and being 20+ points behind is a hard gap to bridge. Chris Buescher is also someone who does not make many mistakes and he was a contender for the win until a late incident at…
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