Parker Retzlaff extended his strong start to his first NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series campaign with Viking Motorsports this past weekend at Watkins Glen International by notching a strong seventh-place result.
The 23-year-old Retzlaff from Rhinelander, Wisconsin, was announced to drive the No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro entry for Viking Motorsports less than a week after capping off the 2025 O’Reilly season with Alpha Prime Racing.
Since joining forces with Viking Motorsports, Retzlaff has only finished outside the top-14 mark twice through 13-scheduled O’Reilly events this season. Despite not leading a single lap in the early portions of this season, he has accumulated a total of two top-five results and seven top-10 results. Retzlaff’s latest top-10 result occurred at The Glen, where he notched an eighth-place result during the first stage period and proceeded to finish in seventh place when the checkered flag flew.
Retzlaff’s pair of top-five results that he has achieved this season are the most he has garnered in a single season since 2024 and his top-10 totals are the most he has accumulated since 2023. With 20 O’Reilly events remaining to the 2026 season, he has a golden opportunity of notching career-high stats with top-five and top-10 totals and contend for his first victory in the series.
A year ago, Retzlaff was mired in 21st place in the driver’s standings and he held an average finishing result of 19.0. He also did not qualify for the Circuit of the Americas race, the third event on the schedule. This season, Retzlaff has qualified for all 13-scheduled events. He has an average finish of 12.7 and is ranked in ninth place in the standings. With a 41-point cushion above the top-12 cutline, Retzlaff has 11 regular-season events to maintain the cushion to make his first-ever appearance in the Chase as a potential title contender.
Following his top-10 result at The Glen, Retzlaff took a moment to praise his team, Viking Motorsports, which is campaigning in its third season in the O’Reilly division and had notched only a total of five top-10 results before the 2026 season. With an enhanced alliance with Richard Childress Racing, Retzlaff strives to maintain the strong start for both himself and Viking Motorsports for the remainder of the 2026 season that would enable them to make the Chase.
“I’ve been very excited even from the start of the year,” Retzlaff said. “I didn’t feel like this was off the table. I felt like we needed to be a Playoff team and we needed to show up every week, and I think that we’ve done that. Just got to keep doing it every week and just keep getting better.”
Parker Retzlaff’s 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season continues this upcoming weekend at Dover Motor Speedway in Dover, Delaware, for the BetRivers 200. In four previous starts at Dover, Retzlaff has finished in the top 20 in all of his starts, with his highest-finishing result being a 10th-place run during the 2024 season.
The 2026 BetRivers 200 at Dover Motor Speedway is scheduled to occur on Saturday, May 16, at 4 p.m. ET on the CW Network, PRN Radio and SiriusXM.
