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NASCAR Driver Gets Honest About Leaving Cup Series For Xfinity Series

Originally posted on The Spun | By Chris Rosvoglou | Last updated May 7, 2025 10:52 AM ET

Despite finishing 16th in the Cup Series standings last year, Harrison Burton decided to return to the Xfinity Series for the 2025 season.

Burton led the No. 21 team for Wood Brothers Racing from 2022-2024, earning a few top-10 finished and a victory at Daytona International Speedway. Although he's still incredibly young, Burton wanted more from his time in the Cup Series. That's why he moved back to the Xfinity Series.

It was announced in September 2024 that Burton was joining AM Racing for the 2025 Xfinity Series. He's currently 10th in the standings thanks to six top-10 finishes.

Just this past weekend, Burton finished in sixth place at Texas Motor Speedway. That was after he came in eighth place at Talladega.

With the Xfinity Series off until May 24, Burton opened up about his 2025 season. He revealed the main reason why he was willing to leave the Cup Series behind.

At the end of the day, Burton wanted to rebuild his stock on a contender. There's no question he has that opportunity with AM Racing.

"That was the best landing spot for me to be a better racecar driver, go to a team that really was rebuilding from square one," Burton told Fox News Digital. "They saw a vision to rebuild around me and had to put the ball in my court and said, ‘hey, if you want to drive for us, we’ll kind of help put a team together that you are a part of.’ So that was really fun for me to kind of build this thing up and take a team like AM Racing that had all the want and will in the world to go contend and lead and run well.

"Right now, we're sitting inside the playoffs, we're starting to get some momentum going, and I think it'll just get better and better and better. So it was a great opportunity to kind of go back, rebuild up my stock a little bit."

Fans of Burton can get a closer look at his story in Netflix's "Full Speed."

We'll see Burton back in action in the BetMGM 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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