Harrison Burton makes the playoffs despite an unfortunate incident whereas brother Jeb Burton comes up short

With no new winners emerging at Saturday's regular season finale at Gateway, Harrison Burton clinched the final playoff spot despite a late-race spin. Meanwhile, his brother, Jeb Burton, saw his chances slip after he crashed into the walls.

Harrison began among the frontrunners at sixth but slowly lost ground as the race went on. He was running 20th when he spun out from contact with Brennan Poole over Turn 2. He was able to recover from the spin and finished at 22nd.

Jeb Burton, however, wasn't so lucky. He overshot his entry at the same turn a few laps earlier and crashed into the outside walls. He was running 18th at the time and retired from the race due to severe damage to his right front.

Notably, Jeb was the only driver who could make the playoffs with points. NASCAR reporter Matt Weaver shared the final playoff picture after the Nu Way 200 concluded.

"Harrison Burton gets last playoff spot."

Matt Weaver

@MattWeaverRA

Connor Zilisch wins at Gateway This is his ninth credited Xfinity win this season Fourth credited win in a row Eighth credited win in past 10 races Regular season championship Harrison Burton gets last playoff spot

Driving the No.25 Ford, Harrison Burton has gone winless in his return to the Xfinity Series. His best result comes from a third place finish at Rockingham Speedway. He currently stands 11th in the playoff standings with three points below the cutline.

Meanwhile, Connor Zilisch continues his four-race win streak at World Wide Technology Raceway. He wins the regular season champoinship and enters the playoffs as the top-seeded driver with nine wins to his name.

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Harrison Burton reveals the lesson learnt after WBR exit

Harrison Burton lost his Cup Series seat last year after getting dropped by Wood Brothers Racing. Nonetheless, the 24-year-old went on to win the regular season finale at Daytona and secured a playoff spot, despite ranking 34th in points.

Reflecting upon WBR exit, Burton explained how the move helped him secure the win at Daytona.

"By the time I won that race, I’d been let go a long time before then. All of a sudden, I learned a really good lesson, because after I got fired, I just raced my own way and started seeing results," he said in an exclusive interview with The Daily Express U.S.

“I started running better and put a lot less pressure on myself to do things the way other people do. I just did it my way, and it ended up working out for those last few weeks. Qualifying really good, racing really well, winning a race. I learned a big lesson and I think it will help me for years as a race car driver," he added.

Following his Cup Series exit, Harrison Burton landed a seat with AM Racing in hopes to re-enter the 2027 season as a free agent. Meanwhile, Josh Berry replaced Burton at WBR and scored their 101st win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.p