The last-place NASCAR driver competes in the Cup Series playoffs

Wood Brothers Racing’s Harrison Burton fell to 34th and last in the NASCAR Cup Series point standings after the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July, largely due to the improved form of Spire Motorsports’ Zane Smith.

While Burton’s best finish of the season was a 10th place at Talladega Superspeedway in April, Smith finished second at Nashville Superspeedway in late June, his best finish to date, just a few hundredths of a second behind race winner Joey Logano.

Burton remained last in the standings by a relatively wide margin heading into Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway, trailing Smith by 26 points and averaging just over 11 points per race.

After the extended 164-lap race on the 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) steeply rising oval track in Daytona Beach, Florida, Burton is still in last place in the points rankings.

Because of his final-lap pass to win the Coke Zero Sugar 400 over Kyle Busch of Richard Childress Racing, his former Truck Series team owner, and the overtime, Burton is one of 16 drivers who will advance to the four-round, 10-race playoffs.

The 23-year-old Huntersville, North Carolina native is one of 13 drivers who have secured their ticket to the postseason with a win in the regular season. Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon also won a race that would have secured his spot, but his victory was later overturned.

Before last year, the rule was that a race winner had to be in the top 30 in the points standings for the win to count towards playoff eligibility, but that is no longer the case.

Burton is 50 points out of the top 30 and has only next Sunday night’s race at Darlington Raceway left on the regular season calendar, meaning he’s unlikely to finish in the top 30. With an average of 12.24 points per race, he’s still 10 points behind Smith in 33rd place.

The Cook Out Southern 500 will determine which three drivers will join the 13 drivers, including Burton, who is already qualified for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. The race will be broadcast live on USA Network from Darlington Raceway this Sunday, September 1, starting at 6 p.m. ET. Start a Try FuboTV for free now and don’t miss it!