Drivers' advice for Harrison Burton playoff run and job search: 'Just do you'

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Harrison Burton pulled off one of the biggest upsets in winning last month at Daytona International Speedway.

The victory vaulted him into the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs amid a job search as Burton has known for several weeks he would not be back at Wood Brothers Racing. He has had talks with teams in the three national series but where he ends up remains to be finalized.

During NASCAR Cup Series playoff media day last week, we asked several drivers for advice to the 23-year-old driver on how to handle the playoffs and go about racing in the playoffs while also looking for a 2025 ride.

Here are some of the responses:

Denny Hamlin: “Just have fun. Ultimately, probably a few weeks ago, he didn’t think he’d be in this position so you really have nothing to lose. Go out there and have fun. Don’t take it all too seriously. Just keep your normal routine and enjoy the moment.”

Brad Keselowski: “You’re a race winner. Make sure you have a ride for the all-star race, whoever that is.”

Kyle Larson: “He seems like a positive person with a great mindset. He’s got a great mentor in his dad [Jeff Burton]. … You’ve just got to be positive, take each race in the playoffs week by week, try and do a good job. This is a good time – these next 10, more eyes are on you with yourself being in the playoffs to do a good job. Whatever that next opportunity is, try to take advantage of it and work hard, run up front if you can and just be a good leader for your team.”

Ryan Blaney: “He did a great job of getting to this spot to earn a playoff spot and capitalizing on a moment and winning and jumping on the chance of that. He’s super motivated and his confidence level is really high as it should be. He’s not had the best couple of years that he wanted to have. … Little shots in the arm of confidence are huge. Harrison and I are kind of similar personalities. We’re introverted a little bit. You don’t ooze confidence and when you get little bits of it, it really helps you and makes you believe in yourself and Harrison got that in Daytona. … My biggest piece of advice to him is enjoy it, enjoy your first playoffs, really dedicate yourself because it’s a unique opportunity you get to be in. You have a chance to do something great. Enjoy every minute of it. Don’t let it overwhelm you.”

Christopher Bell: “Let your results do the talking.”

Daniel Suarez: “He just has to stay in the moment. He just has to continue to focus in the now. Most of the time, the present takes care of the future. If he does well in the playoffs, he’s going to have a better opportunity for a better ride for next year. He just has to focus on the present, just as he did in Daytona — that’s how he won that race, focusing on the present.”

Alex Bowman: “That’s a tough situation. I’m super happy for him that he got a win. It’s a tough spot for him to be in. Just enjoy it for what it’s worth for sure. Take it one week at a time and go do his thing. I’m sure he’ll land on his feet somewhere and be all right.”

Chase Briscoe: “I would say my advice to Harrison would be just don’t get into me during the playoffs. That would be great.” 

Austin Cindric: “Harrison’s got pretty good advice, pretty smart people around him. Other than winning races, that’s about the best advice I can give. His character will take him pretty far. He’s a pretty exceptional person and has been a great teammate for him. That’s my testimonial for anybody looking to hire him.”

Martin Truex Jr.: “Just do you. Do you what you do. Everybody these days is working hard. Everybody is trying. Everybody is using all the things they use to try to get better. Just do you and do what you can and enjoy it a little bit.” 

Tyler Reddick: “He won in his 98th career start and so did Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson. I think he’s set. He’ll figure it out.”

Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.

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