Year two of the Harrison Burton experience was once again met with limited expectations. After a sluggish 2022, the main goal for Burton and the 21 team was to improve upon the previous season. While the results were not great, 2022 had some moments that flashed Burton’s talent. If Burton could build off those areas of success, then 2023 should be a step in the right direction. Wood Brothers was not going to make the playoffs via points. A superspeedway win is always a possibility, however nobody was going to bank on that.
As addressed in last year’s Season in Review, another big question was going to be how involved Team Penske would be with the Wood Brothers. The alliance certainly seemed downsized in 2022. Would that trend continue in 2023? Once again, Harrison Burton was not a Penske grown talent or handpicked by an exiting driver. Still, having a successful prospect in the overall Team Penske umbrella would not be a bad idea. Harrison Burton still has to mature and live up to his potential. Did he make strides toward that in 2023?
Harrison Burton – #21
2023 Stat Line: 36 Starts – 2 Top-10s, Avg Fin 24.7, Lead Lap Finishes (LLF) 17
Crew Chief: Brian Wilson (Regular Season)/ Jeremy Bullins (Playoff Races)
Driver Points Ranking: 31;Â Owner Points Ranking: 31
Notable Results: Top-10 at Darlington in a sweet throwback
Back to back team reviews sees a rookie driver who backtracked their progress. The bar for Harrison Burton was set pretty low. Last season, Burton only rattled off two Top-10s. One of them was at the chaotic Indy GP. The other was a respectable run at Darlington. This year, Burton matched his Top-10 total. Plus, Burton had one less DNF this year. That is the end of the “positive” takeaways from his stat line. Literally, every other statistic for Harrison Burton this season went the wrong way. He had two less Top-20s, three less Top-30s, one less lead lap finish, and his average finish increased by 1.9 positions.
Everyone understood that Harrison Burton would be a long term project when he was called up to the Cup Series. Burton’s expectations are not to compete for a win each race and have deep playoff runs. While that will be the goal at some point, 2023 was not the season for that. However, Burton (much like Cindric) looked worse on track. To end 2022, Burton put together a nice three race stretch. It was the first time he finished Top-20 three races in a row. This year, he failed to repeat that at anytime point.
Equipment or Talent
Team Penske did have a down year in terms of speed. Did that bleed over into the Wood Brothers? Last year, the question was poised whether the 21 was that slow due to the equipment or talent. With Penske not at peak performance, that question returns. The answer likely lies somewhere in the middle. If you put Denny Hamlin in the 21 car, he would likely run Top-10 more often than not. Harrison Burton in the 11 car would also improve, but the results would trail Hamlin’s (or Ty Gibbs). Even if you consider the decreased performance from Penske, it still does not excuse a 31st points finish.
Harrison Burton is training on the fly. His two years in the Xfinity Series produced two different types of seasons. In his rookie year, Burton was one of the best Xfinity Series drivers. In year two, Burton was overshadowed by many of the drivers he was beating in 2020. The Cup promotion based on his 2021 was certainly a surprise. At this point, Burton has done little to justify it.
Now, Burton is still young. Heading into next season, the Wood Brothers driver will only be 23 years old. There is talent with Burton, although he has flashed little of it in the past two seasons. With the right patience though, the Wood Brothers might have another driver for Penske to poach. At the end of the regular season, Penske implemented a crew chief swap which saw Jeremy Bullins transfer to Burton. While it is too early to tell, the small sample size has seen some promising results. When Burton did not DNF, his average finish was 22.2. That would be an improvement on his 2022 statistics.
2023 Grade:Â D-
It was tempting to fail Harrison Burton for the 2023 season. However, Burton barely avoided it due to low expectations and his two Top-10s. Darlington seems to be the track that Burton understands best. He has two Top-10s in his Cup career there. With Darlington being a drivers’ track, it does demonstrate that Burton has talent to wheel a race car. His second Top-10 this year came at Pocono, a track where driver skill matters as well. These two Top-10s are glimpses of promise that Burton has. Whether he ever capitalizes on it or not is the big question.
2024 Outlook
It is known that Harrison Burton will be returning to the Wood Brothers for 2024. Much like Austin Cindric, this year will likely be a prove it year for Burton. Unlike Cindric, Burton’s expectations will still be kept low. Outside of a superspeedway win, Burton is not a contender for the playoffs. What will make or break Burton’s 2024 silly season is whether he can run around the Top-20. Finishing 31st in points is not acceptable, even when the expectations are low.
With the Penske alliance, Harrison Burton should have the equipment necessary to collect at least five to ten Top-10s. There will be no more excuses if Burton falls short again. If he again struggles to show improvement, the Xfinity Series will see this driver in 2025.
Wood Brothers Grade: F
The continued fall from relevancy is why the Wood Brothers fail when Harrison Burton did not. This team was a playoff team in 2020. In 2021, they were in contention for the playoffs throughout the regular season. Since Harrison Burton has been their driver, the team battles Rick Ware Racing for on track position most weeks. Whether Penske has pulled some support or not, this is not how fans want to see the Wood Brothers.
After the jolt from Ryan Blaney, Paul Menard, and Matt DiBenedetto, the Wood Brothers are starting to resemble their post-Ricky Rudd days. Those were some dark times. Wood Brothers are still in search of their 100th win. They should be more competitive than putt putting around in the high 20s/low 30s. The team took a chance with Harrison Burton. So far, it has not gone well. If 2024 looks like the previous two years, the Wood Brothers need to cut ties with Burton and find a new driver.
For other 2023 Season in Review articles, click the link(s) below:
Griffin Fuller – Team Penske
Robert Cwick – JTG-DaughertyÂ
Daniel Smith (Statistical Breakdown) – Team Penske/Wood Brothers, Hendrick Motorsports
