Harrison Burton’s triumphs amid Wood Brothers exit spotlighted in new season of ‘Full Speed’

For many people, Harrison Burton will be a fresh face to put a name to as the former driver of the No. 21 Wood Brothers hot rod is highlighted during Season 2 of "NASCAR: Full Speed," now streaming on Netflix. Competing in the Cup Series full-time since 2022, Burton's third year sees the highest of highs and the lowest of lows for the 24-year-old wheelman. Episode 2 of the five-part docuseries explores Burton's background, highlighting his family's history in the sport with father Jeff, uncle Ward, and cousin Jeb, who currently competes in the Xfinity Series. The episode also reveals that Burton will not return to Wood Brothers Racing in 2025 and the rest of his 2024 season is now an audition for rides elsewhere across any series at the national level. FULL SPEED: See full Netflix hub "When I first got the job, it was like, 'this is great,'" Burton said. "We had some early success and it was like, OK, this Cup thing's gonna be pretty easy. And then all of a sudden, I got hit by a ton of bricks of bad finish after bad finish after failure after failure. We didn't turn it around enough. We had some good runs, but obviously not enough. Felt like I let people down. Then it was like, oh, there's a weight off my shoulders because now I can just focus on going to the race track, and I have this amount of time. I know how much longer is left with the race team. We're gonna make the best out of that time, and then see what comes next." His father Jeff Burton, a 21-time Cup Series winner, offered little pity for the situation his son was in during the season. "I don't feel bad for him," Jeff said. "I think it's an opportunity. This is life. Everybody goes through this [expletive]. What did I do wrong? What can I do better? And then go do it." A golden opportunity arose for Harrison at the Daytona summer race. With just two races left in the regular season before the playoff field was set, Burton needed a victory to make the 16-driver postseason and sat 34th in points. On the final lap of the event, Burton led the outside lane and got a big push from Parker Retzlaff to pass Kyle Busch entering Turn 3. Throwing a handful of blocks on the two-time series champ behind him, Burton was able to take the checkered flag for his first Cup Series win and milestone 100th victory for Wood Brothers Racing. What made it even more special for Burton is that his dad was in the NBC booth calling the race alongside play-by-play announcer Leigh Diffey, who famously delivered the call: "Jeff, you're little boy has done it!" "I cried in the race car," Harrison said. "I've never, ever cried after a race win in my life." MORE: Harrison on 'special' relationship with father Jeff | Milestone win result of long journey for Burton, Wood Bros. Through the Daytona win, Burton clinched his first playoff berth, but his postseason run was short-lived. A power steering issue for the No. 21 car at the Bristol Night Race put Burton in the garage and he finished 35th, which was not good enough to advance to the Round of 12. During the offseason, Burton landed a ride with AM Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, in which he currently pilots the No. 25 Ford and sits 10th in the points standings after 12 races. "I know he's gonna be tougher through this," Jeff said. "I know he's gonna be stronger through this. I know he's gonna be better through this, and it's not the end of him. It's not the end of his journey."