"I'll never forget the emotions": Ward Burton looks back on winning the 2002 Daytona 500 with Bill Davis

Winning the Daytona 500 is on several NASCAR drivers' bucket lists, and Ward Burton was able to tick this off in 2002, when he won his sole event in Daytona. Reflecting on the day, the 64-year-old asserted that he would never forget the emotions that he went through after emerging victorious with the Bill Davis Racing squad.

Burton made his debut in the Cup Series in 1994. Since then, he got down to the climb of moving up the NASCAR field and joined Bill Davis' team midway through his sophomore year.

This move helped him earn his first victory in the championship as he took the checkered flag at the AC DELCO 400 at the North Carolina Motor Speedway in 1995. He then went on to win four more races in his Cup Series career, and one such victory came at the 2002 Daytona 500.

There, he started 19th, but quickly started to make his way up the field. The No. 22 driver went on to lead only five laps of the race, but these laps ended up being the most crucial ones, as he took the checkered flag as the leader to win the team's and his sole Daytona 500 of their career.

So, reminiscing about that day, he said on the Victory Lane podcast:

"Man, it was a really special day. With a day full of drama on the track, we were in the right place, in the right position. Team got the car handling on the left set of tires [correct], what I'd been complaining about all day. So, we were able to pass the 12 car coming off of [turn] 2, that set us up in third... I'll never forget the emotions, and just feeling happy for everybody that had helped me throughout my career, but also our current team."

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Ward Burton lashes back at a fan for his misconduct with his son over social media

Jordan Anderson Racing's Jeb Burton driving the No. 27 Chevrolet during the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Sonoma Raceway.- Source: Imagn

While Ward Burton has bade adieu to racing, the Burton family name still lives on in the NASCAR realm. His son, Jeb Burton, and nephew, Harrison Burton, both race in the Xfinity Series and were also a part of the Cup Series formerly.

But Jeb had a troublesome race in Phoenix, to which one netizen had claimed that the 33-year-old was irrelevant. Though he jibed back, the netizen again replied to the post and wrote:

"I'm not on national TV embarrassing your family legacy in Nascar."

CRJ

@CJJohns37859982

I'm not on national TV embarrassing your family legacy in Nascar.

Subsequently, Ward Burton got in the mix and wrote:

"You’re an idiot."

Ward Burton

@WardBurtonWBWF

You’re an idiot.

Meanwhile, Ward Burton retired from full-time racing after 2007 and made his last professional race start in the Truck Series in 2012.