Burton looking to end slump, deliver winning memories for Sam Hunt Racing

Before hopping into the No. 24 Sam Hunt Racing Toyota at Martinsville Speedway, Harrison Burton stated that the beginning of the 2026 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series has been the roughest start to any season he's endured. The results back up that statement. Through the opening two months of the 2026 campaign, Burton has a pair of DNFs with a 24.3 average finish, earning a best effort of 13th last weekend at Rockingham Speedway. He sits 22nd in the regular-season champion standings. The laundry list of misfortune is piling up. RELATED: Harrison Burton driver page "I know this might sound strange, but I think I speak for everyone at SHR when I say I have more confidence in Harrison being successful here now than I even did back in January," team owner Sam Hunt told NASCAR.com earlier this week. "As much as we all prefer to be free of adversity, it's not the reality of our sport and never will be. "Seeing the leader Harrison has been to his team through countless adverse scenarios, many of which were out of his hands, has solidified who I thought he was when I signed him. He's the first to pick his guys up, first to say he needs to be better, and first to jump in the fire with them. The entire organization is pulling the rope hard to be better each week, and as one of the few independent teams left in our garage, we know the legwork going in now will show dividends before too long." Burton reunited with Toyota after a four-year stop with Ford. From the age of 13 until he jumped to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2022 with Wood Brothers Racing, he was under the Toyota umbrella, rising through the ranks with Kyle Busch Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing. "I feel like I grew up in that pipeline," Burton said. "They have always supported me with the utmost respect and the most opportunities I could ever ask for. To be back with that group is big." Watching from a distance, Burton was impressed by what Hunt was building within the Toyota camp. He appreciates the sacrifice and dedication that the 32-year-old has made, including how he started the two-car organization from scratch while living in a van outside of Robert Yates Racing's old engine shop. "I know the people that are here, I know the race cars, and I know the goal of the race team," Burton said. "The goal of the race team is to go win races. It's not to make a profit here, and let's make our ownership rich and cut corners. It's about going to win races and being aggressive." Getting an established, full-time driver was important for Hunt. In prior years, it's been a stomping ground for young drivers to develop, including Dean Thompson. The No. 26 car's wheelman is one spot ahead of Burton in the driver standings. Having someone with top-level NASCAR experience is rare for a younger O'Reilly team. [caption id="attachment_506640" align="aligncenter" width="1300"]Sean Gardner | Getty Images[/caption] "Having Harrison's knowledge is going to be helpful for someone like Dean, someone Dean can lean on in the good and bad times," Hunt said. "There is no ego. He is the perfect teammate for a lot of people. It means a lot to me that Harrison wants to be at SHR. He has made it clear that this is home and he wants to be a part of making it better, and like them all, they want that first win [for our team]." Returning to a second full-time entry for the first time since 2023 made sense for SHR. The organization ran multiple cars 18 times last season and had enough employees to be efficient. "You see these four- or five-car teams do so well because there is so much data that each team is gathering and sharing between each other," Hunt said. "As a one-car team, you are on an island. I think that's how we get better, is trying a little bit more throughout the season and using each team as a resource." Burton is a proven winner at the O'Reilly level, scoring a quartet of checkered flags in 2020 while driving for JGR. He knows a thing or two about significant victories; he won at Daytona International Speedway in the summer of 2024 for Wood Brothers Racing's 100th race win. Chasing SHR's first victory is reminiscent of Burton's quest for No. 100 in the No. 21 car. Seven different drivers have delivered a top-five finish for Hunt, totaling 13 across 246 starts. "They have been close, and the cars have shown the potential to do so, and the people are capable," Burton said. "It's just about executing and getting it done. I think myself and Dean both want to be the guy that does it, but whoever does it, it's going to be a big deal." MORE: O'Reilly Auto Parts Series standings | O'Reilly Auto Parts Series schedule The goal for Burton, however, is to return to the Cup Series on a full-time basis. He excelled in 2025, delivering AM Racing a postseason appearance. And while he's currently 98 points below The Chase cutline, there are still two-thirds of the regular season remaining, with Bristol Motor Speedway next on tap (Sat., 7:30 p.m. ET, The CW, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). "I'm going to give this race team every single thing I have every single weekend, and I think it will make me a better driver," Burton said. "The end goal might be wanting to get back to Cup and win races, but so does everyone else. So what do you do that differentiates yourself? For me, what that would be is to kick ass in this car and work well with my teammates and go try to win some races."