Retzlaff: ‘I’m Happy We Gave Beard Motorsports A Shot’

Parker Retzlaff (62) races Christopher Bell on the final lap of Saturday night's Coke Zero Sugar 400. (Danny Hansen/NKP photo)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Parker Retzlaff saw everything to play for on the final lap of Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400, and the 21-year-old made the most of the opportunity.

Restarting fourth in overtime at Daytona Int’l Speedway, Retzlaff had a career moment in just his second NASCAR Cup Series start, pushing Harrison Burton to victory lane at the World Center of Racing and earning a strong seventh-place finish for the tiny Beard Motorsports team in the process.

Retzlaff, the Rhinelander, Wis., driver who races full time for Jordan Anderson Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, hung at the back of the lead pack almost all night long in an effort to keep his No. 62 FunkAway Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 clean for the final laps.

The strategy paid off when Retzlaff was able to miss both of the multi-car accidents that marred the final 10 laps of regulation at the 2.5-mile oval, launching him into contention in the blink of an eye.

After tucking in right behind Burton down the backstretch and slipping past the spinning Ford of Austin Cindric, Retzlaff put himself on the second row as the pusher for the Wood Brothers Racing driver.

While the first lap of overtime saw little momentum built up among the leaders, Retzlaff surged off turn two after the white flag and laid on Burton’s bumper down the long back straightaway.

The brief tandem draft allowed Burton to roar past then-leader Kyle Busch on the outside, with Retzlaff poking his front bumper into second place briefly entering turn three before drifting back.

Retzlaff’s job at that moment was accomplished, however, as Burton went on to win the race in stunning fashion. Despite banging doors with both Christopher Bell and Ty Gibbs coming into the tri-oval, and then slapping the wall in the final 100 yards, Retzlaff crossed the finish line seventh.

It was a banner showing for Retzlaff and for the family-owned, Pleasant Hills, Mich., organization owned by Linda Beard – the widow of team patriarch Mark Beard Sr., who passed away in 2021.

Parker Retzlaff (Danny Hansen/NKP photo)

Retzlaff said coming into the Daytona high banks that he “just wanted a chance” in the closing stages Saturday night. He ended up with all that and nearly even more.

“It was definitely a good run for the No. 62 Funkaway Chevy team. I’m happy with a top-10 finish,” said Retzlaff. “I came in here today saying I wanted a top-15 [finish]. Coming out of turn four there, knowing I was third or maybe fourth to the No. 20 (Bell), I knew I had a shot.

“I’m happy we gave this team a shot. We had an amazing car.”

In his first Cup Series superspeedway start, Retzlaff raced with the poise of a veteran down the home stretch, never putting a tire wrong until the chaos of the final few moments.

“It was just really aggressive. Everyone was pushing as hard as they [could],” he said of the atmosphere in the late laps. “It [was] very aggressive, but that’s how this racing gets and that’s why you see wrecks like you do. You have to be lucky and miss the wrecks, but also have a fast enough car to be there at the end, and we got both in this one.”

“I got Harrison cleared on the backstretch, and I was just hoping that I had a big enough run that it would clear me, so I could [try to] pull down in front of the [No.] 8 [Kyle Busch] and give myself a shot [at the win],” he explained. “So, I knew as soon as I didn’t get clear into [turn] three that I was going to make it a little bit harder on myself.

“I just needed them to keep pushing a little bit harder. I think it was the 54 [Gibbs] on my rear bumper, and if I’d been clear I’d have given myself a better shot. But I’m overall happy with [the result].”

Choked up for a moment as the emotion of the night hit him, Retzlaff was as pleased with his top-10 finish as he was wishing for even more, after coming tantalizingly close to the ultimate Cinderella moment.

“It’s just been my dream to be here in the Cup Series at Daytona. It was my first one and I feel like I gave myself a shot,” he noted.

“Coming so close and not getting it just hurts a little bit, but it’s still a huge moment.”

Retzlaff still has four regular season races left on the Xfinity Series side to try and win his way into the playoffs at that level. His next shot will come at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway’s 1.366-mile, egg-shaped oval.

Broadcast coverage of the Sport Clips Haircuts/VFW Help a Hero 200 is slated for Saturday, Aug. 31 at 3:30 p.m. ET, live on USA, the Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.