Harrison Burton is currently driving for Wood Brothers Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series for the second straight season but it has not gone as expected. Burton, 22, only has three top-10 finishes in 54 races with the organization.
Wood Brothers Racing knew the 22-year-old’s development would take some time; however, his sophomore campaign has been worse than his rookie season. As of now, Burton sits 29th in the point standings after finishing the 2022 season in 27th place.
Meanwhile, Burton’s average finishing position has dropped from 22.8 to 24.0 compared to last year. These notable struggles have led to the question of whether the driver of the No. 21 car will return for a third year with the famous NASCAR organization.
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Latest on Harrison Burton’s chances of driving for Wood Brothers Racing in 2024
Burton truly burst onto the scene in NASCAR’s top levels after completing his first season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with four victories. Unfortunately for the former Joe Gibbs Racing driver, he followed that up with a winless season in 2021.
It still was enough to propel him to the NASCAR Cup Series. After letting Matt DiBenedetto go, Wood Brothers Racing signed Burton to drive the No. 21 car for the foreseeable future. It was an opportunity to grow alongside Burton with the NextGen car.
Harrison Burton’s career stats (Cup Series): 0 wins, 1 top-5 finish, 3 top-10 finishes
Since the start of the 2022 season, it hasn’t been very pretty for the No. 21 team. Burton has struggled to find consistent speed and has been mired in the mid-pack on back for the majority of those 54 races. This has created questions about his future.
The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi jumped on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio to discuss the chances of Burton returning for a third season with Wood Brothers Racing and it appears like they are pretty decent as of now.
“It was kind of up in the air whether (Harrison Burton) was going to return to Wood Brothers Racing next year. It seems like its trending in that direction, there is a lot of optimism that he is going to be back next year…I think Harrison is going to get three years with that team, but we’ll see.”
Jordan Bianchi on Harrison Burton’s future at Wood Brothers Racing
This is positive news for Burton as the next steps in his journey would be unclear if he didn’t return to Wood Brothers Racing. Luckily for him, the performances from the No. 21 team have semi-improved as of late.
Burton had a best finish of sixth place at Darlington Raceway and followed that up with an 18th place finish at the Coca-Cola 600. Since that point, the son of former NASCAR driver Jeff Burton has three finishes within the top-27 spots outside of the Chicago Street Course.
There is improvement on Burton’s end and that is good for his chances of returning next year. Sometimes, a driver goes through a sophomore slump so maybe a third season would be beneficial for everyone involved.
However, what happens if Burton doesn’t return for a third campaign with Wood Brothers Racing? Continue reading to find out three ideal candidates to drive the No. 21 car for the 2024 season if Burton’s return doesn’t come to frution!
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3 ideal candidates to drive for Wood Brothers Racing if Harrison Burton doesn’t return
Wood Brothers Racing may have to fill the seat of the No. 21 car depending on their decision with Burton. If the organization goes against the recent report coming out, which drivers make sense for the entry?
Zane Smith would be one possibility as he represents Ford’s best NASCAR prospect. Smith, 24, is the defending NASCAR Truck Series champion and has been linked to Stewart-Haas Racing in the event that Aric Almirola retires at the end of the 2023 season.
The 24-year-old driver has a multi-year contract with Front Row Motorsports which complicates this situation. With two other options available for Smith, would it make sense to have Wood Brothers Racing take the young driver?
Todd Gilliland is another option that makes a lot of sense if Front Row Motorsports goes in a certain direction. Gilliland, 23, might be out of a ride after the 2023 season if Smith moves to Cup with Front Row Motorsports and Michael McDowell stays in the No. 34 car.
The 23-year-old driver would need a ride and his talent alone is enough for Wood Brothers Racing to take a shot. Gilliland has shown flashes of success over the course of the year and it could be enough to have some suitors for 2024.
Corey LaJoie is an out-of-the-box idea but one that would make a ton of sense for the organization. LaJoie, 31, would undoubtedly increase the performance of the No. 21 team as he has brought Spire Motorsports to a higher level.
The 31-year-old might be better off staying with his current organization and that is the major issue in this scenario. If Wood Brothers Racing can convince LaJoie to join the team, it would be a massive pickup for the entry.
Burton still appears to be more likely to return than not; however, these are just a few options that make a lot of sense for Wood Brothers Racing. It is better to be prepared and all four drivers, including Burton, would be good candidates.