“Great teams start with great people”: Parker Retzlaff’s new team president reacts to signing the controversial driver

NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Parker Retzlaff recently signed a new full-time contract with Alpha Prime Racing, cementing his future in the sport. After signing his contract, Alphja Prime Racing's team president expressed his views on Retzlaff piloting their #4 Chevrolet in the 2025 season.

22-year-old Parker Retzlaff made his debut in the Xfinity Series in the 2022 United Rentals 200 at Phoenix Raceway. Over his three-year career in the division, Retzlaff has secured 12 top-ten finishes and started from pole twice in 74 race starts. The Wisconsin native piloted the #31 Chevrolet for Jordan Anderson Racing this year, however, it was announced that Retzlaff wouldn't return to JAR for the 2025 season.

Recently, Retzlaff signed a contract with Alpha Prime Racing to compete full-time in the Xfinity Series behind the wheel of their #4 Chevrolet. Alpha Prime Racing's President Tommy Joe Martins shared his thoughts on Parker joining APR's Xfinity program. (via X)

"2 drivers in @brennanpoole that should be racing on Sundays and a kid in @Parker79p that should be in the near future. Great teams start with great people and great drivers attract that. Exciting steps for our team this year on the competition side. Can’t wait. APR 📈" Joe Martins wrote on X

Retzlaff was tangled up in controversy at Daytona International Speedway earlier this season when he piloted the #62 Chevrolet for Beard Motorsports in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 Cup Series race. However, while the controversy raised concerns over his future in NASCAR, the 22-year-old is now set to compete in the Xfinity Series alongside Brennan Poole for the 2025 campaign.

The Xfinity Series will return on February 15th for the United Rentals 300 at Daytona International Speedway at 5:00 PM Easter time. Catch the action live on CW network, MRN, and SiriusXM's NASCAR channel.

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"I wanted to put my name on the map": Parker Retzlaff sheds light on controversial finish at Daytona

The Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway became a historic event for Harrison Burton's NASCAR career, as he claimed his first Cup Series victory while delivering the 100th win for Wood Brothers Racing.

Burton’s triumph, however, was aided by Parker Retzlaff, who pushed the #21 Ford past Kyle Busch. Busch appeared poised to secure the win and a playoff spot but Retzlaff, despite being a Chevrolet driver, chose to assist Burton. This move raised questions about Retzlaff’s loyalty to Chevrolet, sparking debate within the NASCAR community.

Following the race, Retzlaff shed light on his actions at Daytona via an interview with SiriusXM.

"I didn’t want to push a Ford to the win necessarily but FunkAway has supported me for the last two years in NASCAR and it was their first Cup race and I wanted to do whatever in my power to give them a good result and put my name on the map. The end of the race is not how I wanted it to work, pushing a Ford, but I also didn’t want to give away a result for FunkAway and how they’ve supported me." Parker Retzlaff said

Burton claimed victory at the Coke Zero Sugar 400, with Kyle Busch finishing in P2 and Parker Retzlaff securing P7 after aiding Burton. Retzlaff’s move raised questions about his loyalty to Chevrolet, but when asked if Retzlaff owed him an explanation, Busch declined, stating it wasn’t necessary