Burton punches shocking ticket to playoffs with 1st Cup Series win

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Harrison Burton won a wild Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night, holding off Kyle Busch in overtime for his first career victory and a spot in NASCAR's playoffs.

Burton, who already lost his ride in the famed No. 21 Ford with Wood Brothers Racing next season, took the lead from Busch on the final lap thanks to a huge push from little-known Parker Retzlaff.

Busch fought back and had a chance down the stretch, but he couldn't pass Burton. Burton said he "cried the whole victory lap.” His dad, former NASCAR driver Jeff Burton, called the race and radioed down to offer his congratulations.

Busch finished second, followed by Christopher Bell, Cody Ware and Ty Gibbs. It was Burton's first win in 98 career Cup starts. It was also the 100th victory for the Wood Brothers.

The race went into overtime after Josh Berry's No. 4 Ford flipped and slammed into an inside retaining wall while upside down and sliding on its roof. Berry had to wait several minutes inside his car as safety crews flipped the car over. But Berry flashed a thumbs-up to the crowd after getting helped out.

Berry was leading the race with two laps to go when Austin Cindric got turned sideways by Busch and slammed into Berry. Officials red-flagged the race to clean up the multi-car crash.

It was the second time in less than a week that a Cup car flipped. Corey LaJoie went for a wild ride at Michigan International Speedway on Monday, and NASCAR modified cars in hopes of raising liftoff speed and keeping cars on the ground.

“We got to figure out how to keep cars on the ground," driver Joey Logano said. "We're not doing very well right now.”

Michael McDowell's No. 34 Ford looked like it was headed for a flip just a few laps earlier. Austin Cindric turned McDowell sideways with while bump-drafting, and McDowell's car lifted off the ground after getting hit in the driver's-side door by Logano.

McDowell's car stopped just short of flipping. But Berry wasn't as lucky.

Thirteen drivers are locked into the 16-man playoff field thanks to wins: Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Bell, Tyler Reddick, William Byron, Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski, Austin Cindric, Logano, Daniel Suarez, Alex Bowman and Burton.

Five other winless drivers are vying for the four remaining spots: Martin Truex Jr., Gibbs, Chris Buescher, Bubba Wallace and Ross Chastain. The regular season ends next week at Darlington.

EARLY MELEE

Noah Gragson and Corey LaJoie started a 17-car melee in the second stage of the 160-lap race. Gragson hit LaJoie in the right side of his rear bumper, getting LaJoie loose and sending him into the wall and in front of a bunch of others.

The chain reaction ended the night for Gragson, LaJoie, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin and Ryan Preece. It added to a tough week for Hamlin, who was docked 75 points and 10 playoff points Thursday because his race-winning engine in March was accidentally rebuilt by manufacturer Toyota before NASCAR could inspect it.

PIT ROAD MELTDOWN

Daniel Suarez’s No. 99 Chevrolet had a meltdown on pit road – literally.

Suarez’s trunk caught fire following a pit stop, a strange series of events that ended his night after 37 laps.

It started when Suarez and Denny Hamlin got stacked up behind Harrison Burton on pit road. Hamlin’s engine seemed to backfire while his exhaust hovered over spilled fuel. That sparked a fire that spread to the read of Suarez’s car. By the time Suarez turned a lap under caution, the fire had engulfed the entire rear of his car.

“Just a bad deal,” Suarez said. “I could feel heat in my back, but I could not see it. Very unfortunate.”

UP NEXT

NASCAR moves to Darlington Raceway next Sunday for the regular-season finale, the last chance for drivers to secure playoff spots.

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing