Parker Retzlaff speaks his mind after clinching his and Alpha Prime Racing's career-best feat at Rockingham
Alpha Prime Racing driver Parker Retzlaff has expressed his feelings after coming home with a career-best finish for him and his team. The #4 Chevrolet driver stood second-fastest in qualifying at the Rockingham Speedway and exhibited a strong performance since the battle went green.
Retzlaff maintained his pace and braved the cautions to collect nine points from Stage 1. However, he fell to 19th place as the second stage settled, jeopardizing the prospects of a satisfactory outcome. Moreover, the final stage witnessed the #4 Chevy driver suffer from a flat right front tire, drastically dropping the Chevrolet's pace, and forcing the officials to yellow flag the event.
Nonetheless, the 21-year-old made an impressive comeback and stood fourth on the final restart, glued behind Joe Gibbs Racing rival Taylor Gray's car. As the officials waved the green flag, the pack rushed for the checkered flag, with Retzlaff drafting behind Gray's #54 Toyota.
Despite the chaotic restart that saw Jesse Love moving Sammy Smith up the track to overtake from the bottom, Parker Retzlaff didn't let his guard fall, staying with the pack to cross the line in third. But after Love's DQ, the Alpha Prime Racing driver was promoted to a runner-up finish, marking his and his team's career-best result.
"It was a battle all day...I thought the 2 (Jesse Love) and 8 (Sammy Smith) couldn't make it, so I thought we had a chance of making it in the last lap. I thought maybe they're going to run (it) out and I can get by them. But overall, it's a really good day and I'm happy with what we did today," Retzlaff said via NASCAR.
Retzlaff's P2 finish didn't affect his Xfinity Series standings, and he's still ranked 22nd.
Taylor Gray slams Parker Retzlaff for ruining his Rockingham prospects
After posting his first top 5 this season at the Daytona International Speedway, Taylor Gray couldn't place his JGR Toyota in another top 5 slot. However, Gray was hopeful for a podium finish or a race win as he stood second on the final overtime restart.
Regardless, Parker Retzlaff's draft proved disastrous for the JGR rival. The Alpha Prime Racing driver was too close to Taylor, lifting the latter's rear and ruining the odds of a good launch. Moreover, because the #4 Chevy driver was right behind the #54 Toyota driver, Gray couldn't help but get stuck between Smith's JRM Chevy that slid ahead of him after Love's move, and Retzlaff.
As a result, Gray lost multiple track positions, finishing sixth and losing a potential win and the ticket to the playoffs.
"I feel like we had a really good Operation 300 Toyota GR Supra. I just needed the 4 (Parker Retzlaff) to not try to restart for me. I don't know what he was doing. He just got me off sequence, jacked up the rear tires up off the ground and caused me to get a bad launch," Gray slammed Parker Retzlaff via Speedway Digest.
Notably, Love's DQ moved Taylor Gray one spot up in the finishing order, resulting in the second top 5 finish this season.