DAYTONA, Fla. (WFLA) — The COKE ZERO SUGAR 400 race was filled with drama and crashing at the Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night.
The race was full of big wrecks and a surprise winner, with the regular season on the line.
As the drivers loaded into their cars, Olympic gold medalist and Palm Harbor native, Bobby Finke, dropped the green flag.
In stage one, the racers went three wide in a tight, large pack, all pressing for the lead.
But the first sign of trouble came with flames shooting out of the car of Daniel Suarez, as the ’99 Chevrolet practically melted in the pit.
In stage two, things broke loose with the first crash of the night as Ross Chastain spun, taking out some of the sport’s biggest names.
Another late-race crash launched pole winner Michael McDowell into the air, taking out Bubba Wallace, Kyle Larson, and 12 more.
On the second to last lap, Josh Berry went upside down in a scary moment of the race, spinning on the roof.
Veteran Kyle Bush looked poised for the win on the restart, but out of nowhere, Harrison Burton took the lead, winning his first-ever cup victory.
After the race, Burton could barely believe his fortune.
“It means the world, I mean I had a lot of really hard times in my Cup Career, was pretty convinced I was going to leave without a win, was pretty convinced I was going to get fired and not know what was going to happen next,” Burton said. “You just never know when you have a chance to win these things.”
Burton has been last in regular season points. But with a win at Daytona, he is now in the playoffs.
“It’s amazing, I mean the playoffs, it’s such an honor to be in.. And it’s so hard to get into the playoffs, there are so many great drivers that don’t make it every year,” Burton said.
His father, Jeff Burton, a former NASCAR Cup driver turned race commentator, said watching his son win was emotional. But watching him escape the crashes wasn’t easy.
“Of course, it makes you nervous, it makes you nervous for everybody, but we decide to do this,” Jeff said. “I did it and cars flipped upside down then too, no one makes us do it, it’s what we want to do.”
Harrison said the chance to be in the playoffs is not lost on him. He said his focus now will be to make sure that spot isn’t wasted.
