What’s Happening?

Caesar Bacarella, co-owner of NASCAR Xfinity Series team Alpha Prime Racing, said that the team is still in the process of sorting out its 2026 plans, stating that APR currently has signed “no drivers for next year.”

The 2025 season has had its share of highs and lows for the NASCAR Xfinity Series team Alpha Prime Racing.

On one end, the team had two of its three full-time drivers miss the third race of the season at Circuit of the Americas, but throughout the season, the team has put together one of its best statistical efforts in its short history.

So far this season, the team has more than doubled its total number of career top 5s and top tens, and achieved a best-ever race finish of Second at Rockingham.

This was thanks to the efforts of their full-time drivers, Brennan Poole, in his second season with the team, and Parker Retzlaff, in his first season with APR.

The team also fielded their No. 45 car on a full-time basis, with a roster of part-time drivers, and even expanded to a fourth car, the No. 5, which scored a top-five finish with co-owner Caesar Bacarella behind the wheel.

Changes on the Way?

There’s a great chance that Parker Retzlaff will not return to Alpha Prime Racing in 2026, and with more great opportunities in front of the young driver, Caesar Bacarella is nothing but proud.#NASCAR pic.twitter.com/7OP4LbgAIU

— RJ Starcevic (@RJStarcevic) October 24, 2025

Despite this great effort, Bacarella hinted in a recent appearance on RJ Starcevic’s podcast, The Motor Stardom Show, that the team could see a major shakeup for the coming season.

Bacarella says that Parker Retzlaff, who shockingly made the jump to Alpha Prime this season, may not return to the team’s No. 4 entry.

“I don’t think he’s gonna be with us,” Bacarella said. The driver/owner then said that he hopes Retzlaff, who has had a hit-or-miss time in the Xfinity Series, could join a bigger team, though he would love to have the 22-year-old return to APR.

“I hope he [Retzlaff] might be going to a bigger team. . . I’m proud of the kid,” Bacarella said. So, if he has opportunities, just ‘that a boy, go ahead, go for it.’ But love to have him back.”

Furthermore, Bacarella says the team’s best-performing driver, series veteran Brennan Poole, is still not a guarantee for 2026, meaning the team has yet to sign any drivers for the coming NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season.

“We don’t know what Poole’s going to do next year still. So right now, we have no drivers for next year, signed. So we’re kind of in limbo. It’s kinda a little sketchy for the first time. We’ve done better, but right now, we have nobody signed for next year.” — Caesar Bacarella

O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Silly Season

This, of course, does not mean the team won’t field any cars during the inaugural NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season; it just means they have yet to sign anyone to do so.

This season, many race fans turned the spotlight to the series as a potential hotbed for Silly Season moves in what was expected to be a quiet year for NASCAR Cup Series Silly Season.

Nonetheless, very few moves, aside from rumors and releases, have occurred yet, with the majority of changes taking place at JR Motorsports, which is shaking up its roster by fielding only two full-time drivers in its lineup of four full-time cars.

However, while few drivers have signed with new teams, some key players are already confirmed to be on the move. For instance, former 2025 Playoff driver Harrison Burton has already announced his departure from AM Racing at the end of the season.

Other free agents include veteran Matt DiBenedetto, who has already parted ways with Viking Motorsports. Additionally, Josh Williams, who raced part-time in APR’s No. 45, is seeking a new opportunity following his release by Kaulig Racing late this summer.

Burton is expected to race for Sam Hunt Racing, but there is no news on DiBenedetto or Williams’ plans for the coming year.

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