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NASCAR XFINITY SERIES: DESERT DIAMOND CASINO WEST VALLEY 200November 7, 2020Harrison BurtonAvondale, Arizona Q. Harrison, first of all, congratulations on the great season, for winning Rookie of the Year. What was the biggest thing that you learned behind the wheel of an Xfinity car for the full season compared to when you were in trucks last year? HARRISON BURTON: I think the biggest thing for me was just having confidence in myself. These Xfinity cars are so tough to drive. You're always on the edge of grip if you're going fast, and I had a great time this year kind of building that confidence. We had a win early at Auto Club and that kind of made me a better driver, if that makes sense. Once I kind of knew I could get to Victory Lane and was confident in my team that we could get it done, that made things easier, if that makes sense. But just looking at myself and reflecting, just the biggest thing you learn is‑‑ it's kind of a weird answer, but everything. You can't point at one thing and say I got better at this and this and this. If you could, it would be a lot easier to be a better race car driver. There's a whole picture you have to put together. I have great people around me that helped me get there. I feel like we were a competitor to win the championship this year. We won four races, and we needed a little bit more to get to where the Championship 4 was as far as consistency, and we just came up short. I learned a lot, and the biggest thing was just confidence. Q. Harrison, we've talked a couple times this year about you had some ups and downs, but you also made some‑‑ you made the record books on certain of those things. What is the biggest takeaway from this season and going forward that you'll hold close to you for your career? HARRISON BURTON: Just to say I can do it. Going two wins in a row is super tough in a series with great competitors like we have, having a team like we have with guys that are really learning, and I think it was my crew chief's Ben Beshore's first full season as a crew chief and my first full season as an Xfinity driver, so yeah, we learned a lot all season long, and the biggest thing we can take away is just momentum. The speed we had the last three races really were pretty good, and that's huge for next season hopefully. Yeah, I'm excited. I'm just thankful for the opportunity to even be here. It's been a heck of a ride, and I've enjoyed every second of it, and hopefully I can come back and be in the Championship 4 next year. Q. Have you been able to give your dad any grief along the way with some of the things that you've done and kind of pointing to his career? HARRISON BURTON: Well, he has the ultimate trump card in that he's won Cup races, right, so I can't really talk too much. I've got a long way to go before I can get there. He was pretty good back in his day, so I'll give him credit for that at least. Q. Harrison, what are aspects that you have more appreciation for now that were lost from this year, and vice versa, were there any alterations made this season that you preferred versus a normal season? HARRISON BURTON: Yeah, the biggest thing I missed was my family being here and being able to have my mom and dad‑‑ if my dad is up in the booth, he's been able to come, but them just not being able to be in the garage with me. My girlfriend not being able to come and support me as much, that's been the worst part about it. You have these people that are your support system, and as a young kid you want to rely on that support system, right, and that was the hardest part about this season. I don't know, like as a rookie I definitely didn't enjoy not having practice, but I will say I think it prepared me more for the future, whether we have practice or not in the future, knowing now firing off first lap of the race and being able to be competitive, that makes me a more confident race car driver in practice and things like that, that I can load off a truck and be at race pace instantly, which was honestly one of my weaknesses in years past was having that aggression early in the practice sessions. And now I feel like I have that, and I've kind of learned that skill, so I'm thankful that we didn't have practice because I feel like I was a better race car driver because of it, but I also wish I could have had the chance to learn, as well, so it's kind of a Catch 22. THE MODERATOR: Thank you very much, Harrison, and congratulations on Rookie of the Year. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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