Harrison Burton’s crash at Daytona brought an unusual NASCAR safety feature to the forefront: the crush panel. During Saturday’s Xfinity Series race, Burton spun on the backstretch and said debris from a broken crush panel hit him in the eye. He was seen rinsing his eyes with water before continuing the race.Crush panels are thin metal sheets built into the car’s chassis. They are part of the safety enclosure that surrounds the driver. Their job is to absorb energy during a crash by crumpling, which helps stop the engine or other heavy parts from entering the cockpit. NASCAR places these panels in areas like the front and rear “clips” of the car, where impacts are most likely.They are intentionally made weaker than the main chassis. That way, the panels deform and take the hit while the main frame and driver’s compartment stay intact. Without them, a big crash could push dangerous parts straight into the driver’s space.But there’s a tradeoff. If a crush panel gets torn or knocked loose, it opens a direct path between the car’s mechanical parts and the cockpit. Hot exhaust fumes, brake heat, or even burning rubber can then enter the driver’s area. Tire failures, in particular, can rip away the panels and let debris or dust fly inside. That is what happened with Harrison Burton at Daytona.Burton’s incident came at a time when every point matters for him. He was racing for AM Racing and trying to stay ahead of his cousin Jeb Burton in the playoff standings. Only 12 drivers make the Xfinity Series postseason, and Harrison is right on the bubble.The spin at Daytona was costly. NASCAR did not throw a caution flag, and Burton’s broken crush panel made the situation worse as debris hit him inside the car. He was forced to slow down, and cameras showed him flushing his eyes with water. At the time of the red flag for rain, Burton was only a lap down, but with so few laps left in the stage, he needed a quick recovery to stay in contention.The CW captured footage of the moment, showing how the debris made its way inside the No. 25 car. The network also shared a clip online where Harrison Burton's struggles were clearly visible. The official CW Sports account wrote on X,“@HBurtonRacing currently dealing with several issues.”This season has been a turnaround for AM Racing compared to last year. Harrison Burton already has nine top-10 finishes, with two top-fives, and a third-place result at Rockingham being his best so far.Harrison Burton’s lessons learnt after leaving Wood Brothers RacingBefore his current Xfinity run, Harrison Burton raced in the Cup Series with Wood Brothers Racing. His time there ended in 2024 when the team decided to move in another direction. Speaking with Daily Express U.S., Burton explained that he knew well before Daytona last year that he would not be returning.The news could have crushed him, but instead it changed his approach. As Burton put it,“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 added, “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.”That new mindset helped him secure a victory at the 2024 Coke Zero 400, Wood Brothers Racing’s 100th Cup Series win. Harrison Burton beat Kyle Busch on the final lap to earn his first-ever playoff berth, even though he was ranked last among full-time drivers with only 12 races left in his Cup career.Josh Berry has since taken over Burton’s Cup seat and won for WBR at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Harrison Burton, meanwhile, has settled with AM Racing in the Xfinity Series, where he sits just outside the top-10 in points.