Could Burton's AM Rebuild Raise Stock Enough for Second Chance in Cup?

After three seasons of competing in the NASCAR Cup Series with the iconic Wood Brothers Racing team came to an end after 2024, Harrison Burton found himself standing on the doorstep of AM Racing, looking to repair and rebuild his career and reputation.

However, Burton wasn't the only one in dire need of a refresh. AM Racing, after a terrible season that saw its sole entry finish outside the top-30 in owner points, needed to make a substantial change heading into their third season of competition in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

The team's planned full-time program with Hailie Deegan had dissolved midway through 2024, only for the No. 15 Ford Mustang to turn into a smattering of one-offs and schedule fillers, who struggled to get a grip on the potential of the team -- to the point of there being legitimate concerns of the team making races.

It's been less than a year since the organization was in that dire state, and somehow, both Harrison Burton and AM Racing have resurrected it, not only into a playoff-caliber team, but have done the hard part -- making the playoffs.

The Huntersville, North Carolina-native is one of 12 NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers locked into the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs, getting the No. 25 Ford Mustang Dark Horse into the post-season field courtesy of a strong season -- including two top-fives, nine top-10s, and an average finish of 14.1.

"It's big. It's a really cool accomplishment for our whole group," Burton acknowledged during Tuesday's Playoff Media Day. "It's not just me. There are a lot of people that have put a lot of effort into making this race car go the way it has, and that's been really, really rewarding. Obviously, the wins haven't come yet. I feel like we're getting closer, but the wins haven't come yet, and that's the next step we have to take, and that's probably the hardest step, but we're working really, really hard, and it's been rewarding."

At first, when Burton got behind the wheel of the No. 25 Ford Mustang Dark Horse, expectations were mirky. While everybody involved wanted to win races and make the Playoffs, whether or not that would be a realistic goal was yet to be seen. Quickly, it became evident that a post-season appearance -- the first for AM Racing -- would be in reach.

"I think the funny thing is, your goals change as you run better. The first few races, it was literally we were worried about making the race at Daytona and COTA," Burton exclaimed. "We weren't locked in because our points weren't enough from last year, so to build it to being in the playoffs and running well and performing well has been very rewarding."

Considering the struggles of the last three seasons, this success, in his first season with AM Racing, has to taste even sweeter.

After three seasons driving the iconic No. 21 Ford Mustang Dark Horse, Burton was released from his driving duties in the NASCAR Cup Series, in favor of Josh Berry. It wasn't but mere weeks afterwards, that the 24-year-old driver went to Victory Lane, winning the Coke Zero Sugar 400 and making the Playoffs. However, that wasn't enough to land him a seat at NASCAR's top-level.

Whether or not things will end up working out better this way, is yet to be seen, but the blood, sweat, and tears that Burton has put into a complete turnaround for the AM Racing team is a major boost to his stock as a driver.

"I wanted to come to AM Racing for reasons other than that," Burton said. "I just felt like it was a good opportunity for me to build something, make myself a better driver, and build a relationship with a team that needed some full-time help. They've had great drivers in their car before, but it wasn't a full-time, consistent week-in, week-out kind of situation, so I felt like I saw potential in the race team, and they saw potential in me. I feel like it's been a great partnership, and trying to both build ourselves back up."

And that fact isn't lost on Burton, either, as he looks for a path back to the NASCAR Cup Series. However, that's not the reason he decided to partner up with Kevin Cywinski and the entire AM Racing team.

"I've been up front with [AM Racing] since the beginning, and they want this for me too, is for me to hopefully one day get back to the Cup Series," Burton said. "It wasn't the run I wanted. I have a sour taste in my mouth from that, and I feel like I'm capable. I just didn't put it together in enough time. I feel like towards the end of my Cup seasons, I was running better. I started getting confidence and started figuring things out, and qualifying better is such a big and important thing. We started doing that at the end of my Wood Brothers tenure, so there's kind of an awkward taste in my mouth to leave after winning."