What’s Happening?

Parker Retzlaff has announced he will not return to Alpha Prime Racing for a second season in 2026, with the 22-year-old now looking for his third seat in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series in three seasons.

• In a post on his social media, Retzlaff said, “I am closing out my 3rd full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series season, I would like to announce that I will not be returning to Alpha Prime Racing in 2026.” He also thanked his team owners, hinting that this move was made on good terms with his now-former team.
• This confirms a statement from team co-owner Caesar Bacarella, who said in a recent interview that he did not believe Retzlaff would return to the team for the coming year.
• Where Retzlaff will go from here is unknown, as Bacarella hinted that he could go to “a bigger team,” though there are many openings at top programs as of press time. There are notable openings at Alpha Prime Racing and Viking Motorsports, though there is no indication of interest.
• Retzlaff found his way to APR after two seasons with Jordan Anderson Racing, where the young driver showed speed but failed ot match on raceday. This season, for the first time in his career, Retzlaff had a better average finish than average starting spot, though this was a far cry from his average finish with JAR.

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