A winner of 21 Cup races and current NASCAR analyst for USA Network and NBC, Jeff Burton took some time to speak with Motorsport.com about a myriad of topics. He touched on the playoff format, offering a passionate defense of the legitimacy of modern champions while expressing openness to suggested changes.

We also discussed the longest walk in the NASCAR garage — the one between the Xfinity/Truck garages and the Cup garage. The competition is simply at another level at the pinnacle of stock car racing, and with how different the Next Gen car is, the learning curve is steeper than it has ever been.

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Burton’s 24-year-old son Harrison learned that lesson first-hand, giving fans, pundits, and teams a reminder of how different each rung of the NASCAR ladder can be.

After winning four Xfinity races in a single season, he made the jump to Cup with the Wood Brothers in 2022. After three seasons together (more than 100 races), he scored two top fives and six top tens. However, one of those did include a shock victory at Daytona in 2024, vaulting him into the playoffs.

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Even then, the decision was already made by the No. 21 team to part ways with the younger Burton, who was then able to find a new full-time ride back in the Xfinity Series this year.

Driving for the small AM Racing team, he made the playoffs in an impressive underdog story — is Cup next…again?

The road to a Cup career is winding

Harrison Burton, AM Racing Ford

Could this realignment be an opportunity for Harrison to reestablish himself and climb back into Cup? We’ve seen it before with drivers such as John Hunter Nemechek and even Ryan Preece — the road to top-level stock car racing isn’t always a straight line.

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“I think so,” said Jeff Burton. “I think that was part of his decision-making, going to AM (Racing). He saw an opportunity there with a team that really hadn’t had much success. He looked around and thought, ‘I could help this team. I could be part of this team.’ He felt like with a few changes, that he could be involved and help turn it around.

“Clearly, and I’d be willing to say that in almost any form of motorsport, that’s the comeback play of the year – Harrison and AM Racing getting into the playoffs. I think they were 32nd in points last year, so clearly that’s the comeback play of the year.

“I think that has reminded people of his ability. He clearly had a tough three years in the Cup Series, for whatever reason. He’s gotta remind people of what he can do, and he’s gotta remind himself of what he can do. I think he can (get back into Cup). He’s still only 24 years old. He won a lot of races, so yes he can, but he’s got to be at the right place at the right time with the right person who sees it and is willing to commit to him.”

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How will Zilisch perform in 2026?

Connor Zilisch, JR Motorsports Chevrolet, Harrison Burton, AM Racing Ford

There have been several highly successful drivers from the lower divisions who have moved up to Cup in recent years where the success didn’t fully translate. Right now, Connor Zilisch (Xfinity) and Corey Heim (Trucks) are the biggest rising stars in the sport. Both will likely end the year with double-digit race wins, and the 19-year-old Zilisch has already secured a deal to go Cup racing with Trackhouse in 2026.

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Jeff Burton offered his outlook for Zilisch and how he may handle the huge step up to Cup next year.

“There’s been a few that have made that transition look easier than most,” explained Burton. “Clearly, he’s very talented and he’s humble. I think that will serve him well. He’ll be ears wide open, hungry to learn, understanding that it is a process. There’s no question that it won’t be easy.

“There’s no question that he will look around some days and think ‘what in the hell am I doing?’ After a few (Cup) races, I remember talking to Harrison, and he’s like, ‘my God I’ve never raced so hard for 35th in my freaking life.’ It’s a different level.

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Joey Logano, another driver who was once hailed as a teenaged phenom, recently compared Zilisch to himself and even said the Red Bull athlete is “better than I was at that age.” But even Logano, who is now a three-time champion of the sport, struggled in those early days and ultimately lost his ride at Joe Gibbs Racing.

Burton also touched on how different the Next Gen is, saying, “The car is so unique. A lot of people have trouble with the car. They don’t know they’re getting ready to be beyond the grip limit before they get there, and we see Kyle Busch spinning out by himself. We see Kyle Larson spinning out by himself. We see people really pushing the car, crossing that limit, and it’s a very difficult car to drive. Regardless of the commentary some people try to make about this car, it’s a very difficult car to drive on the limit, on the edge. It’ll be a challenge. I think Connor is exceptionally talented and he will have success, but it won’t just come easily.”

Connor Zilisch, JR Motorsports Chevrolet

The field is also incredibly close now as NASCAR took a lot of it out of the car-building process out of the hands of the teams in favor of third party spec parts and components. There is just a few tenths separating 36 to 40 cars every weekend, and pushing beyond the limit Burton discussed will result in a crash.

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“Oh, it’s nuts,” said Burton about the closeness of the field. “We’ve never been in this situation before. When I watch a race, I am just fascinated by how hard it is to gain positions. People equate that to it being hard to pass. Well, damn right it’s hard to pass when the guy next to you is running the same damn speed. The field is closer together than it’s ever been.”

Chase Elliott is the most recent Xfinity Series champion to go on and become a Cup champion as well, winning his titles in 2014 and 2020, respectively. Looking at recent NXS champions, the last five have combined to win a total of four Cup races (Austin Cindric with three and Cole Custer one). It’s also worth noting that the trend gets better as you move further away from the start of the Next Gen era.

As Jeff pointed out in our conversation, “the (Cup) racing we’re seeing today is freaking intense. The mistakes are more costly. It’s hard. It’s just really freaking difficult.”

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