"I wanted to put my name on the map": Parker Retzlaff clarifies decision to not assist Kyle Busch at Daytona

Parker Retzlaff, who recently participated in his second Cup race at Daytona, spoke on the race's intense final moments during a discussion with SiriusXM NASCAR. Retzlaff explained that he was merely trying to demonstrate his driving skills to his team and had no intention of causing any harm to Kyle Busch or any other driver.

The Coke Zero Sugar 400 marked the 21-year-old's second appearance in a Cup race, where he finished 7th after giving Harrison Burton a critical push towards victory. Before the event, Retzlaff drove the #66 Ford for MBM Motorsports at Richmond on August 11, 2024, where he finished 35th. Reflecting on the race at Daytona, Parker Retzlaff shared his thoughts:

"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."

Reflecting on his strategy during the climactic moments of the race at Daytona, Parker Retzlaff shared his thoughts saying that he wanted to put himself on the map since it was a good opportunity for him to win the race. According to Retzlaff, his only shot was to get Burton clear and get himself in line instead of pushing Kyle Busch.

At Daytona, Parker Retzlaff's actions sparked debate since he was racing for Beard Motorsports, which has ties to Childress through both the team itself and the Jordan Anderson Racing program where he races full-time in the Xfinity Series. During the crucial final restart, rather than aiding RCR driver Kyle Busch, Parker Retzlaff chose to support Burton, helping him overtake Busch and clinch the victory.

The 21-year-old explained that he was seizing the moment to spotlight himself and his sponsor, FunkAway, on a national stage.

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NASCAR insider sympathizes with Parker Retzlaff's decision to back Harrison Burton over Kyle Busch on the track

During their "The Teardown" podcast, Jordan Bianchi and Jeff Gluck delved into Parker Retzlaff's controversial decision at Daytona. Bianchi commented:

"I feel bad for him because there’s probably going to be some bad blood and don’t forget too, that team is kind of a quasi-affiliate team of RCR… You can see why they’re putting in this kid’s head of, ‘Hey, do this.’ But so much easier to say than do in these closing moments." [at 19:55]

Interestingly, in a post-race interview with Bob Pockrass, Retzlaff revealed that he had initially considered backing Kyle Busch in the final lap but opted not to sacrifice his position on the restart. Instead, he decided that giving Harrison Burton a substantial push was his best shot at winning.

"In the first spot I wanted to go take the bottom of the #8 car and push the #8. [...] But I knew I needed to get Harrison clear to make it a race between me and him to race to the line there."

Kyle Busch is currently 16th in the regular season standings, with 552 points to his name so far.