Parker Retzlaff’s career day in NASCAR’s return to Rockingham will be a race he will remember in his Xfinity Series tenure. (Photo Credit: Phil Cavali | The Podium Finish)
ROCKINGHAM, N.C. – Parker Retzlaff ran what was on paper his career-best NASCAR Xfinity Series race, scoring a runner-up finish in Saturday’s North Carolina Education Lottery 250 for the long-awaited return at Rockingham Speedway.
The driver of the No. 4 Chevrolet also shared success with his veteran Alpha Prime Racing teammate, Brennan Poole, who capped off the top 5 by finishing fourth after 14 cautions took out numerous contenders, allowing for several competitors to pounce for any track position they could get. Retzlaff had originally finished third but was granted second place after race winner Jesse Love failed post-race technical inspection.
Retzlaff’s career day began with an intense battle inside the top 5 for the majority of the opening 60-lap stage, fighting right behind the race leader of Nick Sanchez, ultimately ending Stage 1 in second place in the wings of Sanchez.
Unfortunately, Retzlaff fell outside of the top 20 for the majority of Stage 2 after a slow stop under the stage break caution. The Rhinelander, Wisconsin native wound up finishing 19th after getting by Poole as both APR Chevrolets began to gear up for the long and tumultuous ending of the race.
Alpha Prime Racing’s strong day as an organization was led by the Rhinelander, Wisconsin driver of Parker Retzlaff. (Photo Credit: Declan Wayman | The Podium Finish)
As the cautions continued to fly during the final 130 laps of the race, Retzlaff skillfully navigated through the field while other cars around him fell out of the race.
Retzlaff found himself in sixth place for the restart on Lap 165, which followed the ninth caution of the race. The caution was triggered when Justin Bonsignore spun his No. 19 Toyota Supra off the exit of Turn 2. This incident allowed Retzlaff to push Christian Eckes up to the back bumper of race leader Ryan Sieg on the restart, setting the stage for Retzlaff to battle with Austin Green.
The third-year driver ran most of the final stage inside the top 5, as he hovered around third to fourth position on track, fighting with the JR Motorsports duo of Sammy Smith and defending Xfinity Series champion, Justin Allgaier.
After several cautions shuffled the 21-year-old driver further back in the field, Retzlaff cut a break with 10 laps to go as a multi-car pileup ensued entering Turn 1, collecting Allgaier, Sanchez, Sieg, and Carson Kvapil.
After the 14th and final caution of the day, Retzlaff was in fourth place for the restart. As the field received the white flag, he sped past Harrison Burton and ultimately finished third on the racetrack.
After Love’s disqualification, the driver of the No. 4 car was awarded second place, surpassing his previous best finish of third, which was achieved in the 2024 Xfinity Series season opener at Daytona.
The finish also marks both Retzlaff’s first top 5 since the 2024 Atlanta spring race, as well as the first time in Alpha Prime Racing team history that the organization had placed two cars inside the finishing top 5 in a race.
“It was overall a really good day,” Retzlaff told The Podium Finish.
“Just a good battle as a team overall, we made a lot of mistakes, I included, so I’m happy for everyone on the team and going into next week to build more confidence.”
The Wisconsin native driver highlighted the strength of his race, thanking veteran crew chief Joe Williams for his support. This gives him confidence as he heads into the next race at Talladega Superspeedway.
“It was probably my best race to date. I kept fighting all day to make sure that we stayed in a position that we needed to be and needed to be aggressive, and just overall have something to fight for. I think everyone, and Joe (Williams), has been working hard on the team to make adjustments, and overall its a great thing of confidence for me after a month ago we didn’t qualify for COTA, and now we’re a thousandth of a second off the pole and we’re finishing top 5 and I think it shows this team what we can do together.”
In his first year at Alpha Prime Racing, Retzlaff in the No. 4 Chevrolet Camaro is currently ranked 22nd in the points standings as he heads into this weekend’s Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway.
