After a noteworthy tenure driving the number 31 car—including seven top-ten finishes—one driver looks to harness the momentum he’s built to elevate his performance in the Xfinity Series, but with a different team this time. Despite the excitement surrounding his new venture, Parker Retzlaff’s transition comes amid critiques of his previous team’s issues and long-standing challenges, which, as he revealed, ultimately led to the move to a new team.

However, it can be a dark place to be in when you are leaving the team, and you don’t know what’s next. What helped the driver come out of the funk, and how did he deal with it? This story talks about all of that and more regarding the new chapter.

Parker Retzlaff’s shift away from Jordan Anderson: Reasons and impact

Parker Retzlaff bid adieu to Jordan Anderson Racing, where he drove number 31 and won 7 top-10 finishes. For 2025, he will be racing for Alpha Prime, driving their number 4 Chevrolet. Despite this, there is a lot of controversy surrounding his move to Alpha Racing. He shed light on the troubles he faced at Jordan Andrew Racing in 2023 and 2024. As per the driver, the issue was problems not being resolved. He said on Bating and Banging’s YT channel, “We had the same struggles in 24 that we had in 23. We didn’t fix the problem. We changed some other things, but they weren’t really the problem. I don’t think the change we made hurt or helped the situation at all. I think it kind of just built into a big ball that just got worse. A lot of stuff was overlooked. Also, there was just some bad luck in some areas that we need to be a little bit better at.”

His teammate Jeb Burton said that it had to do with funding, the sport needs. However, Retzlaff said, it’s not just about that, and there is, in fact, more to the story. Retzlaff, who has a good relationship with Burton, spoke about the way he is being treated by the new team, without talking about the old team. He said, “I think I am in a better spot now. I am very happy to be with Alpha Prime. And Tommy and Caesar have treated me well since the first meeting. We had to be in the shop every day with them now. It’s been a change. Something to get used to after spending two years in one place. But it’s been a very good change.” 

Jeb Burton also spoke about the Retzlaff being in a dark place. “I knew what was happening in the middle of the season. We were already working on stuff and trying to make sure we were in a decent spot. I think that it took a while longer than we wanted to get it all signed and done. But when I knew that we weren’t coming back and all that, we kind of just started working on what the next step was,” Retzlaff said. This was due to several incidents that took place throughout the season.

The biggest one was at Daytona, when he pushed Harrison Burton’s Ford instead of helping fellow Chevy teammate Kyle Busch. In addition to this incident from the Cup Series, Retzlaff faced a high number of DNFs in the Xfinity races he competed in.

The driver now thinks he will have a great 2025. Retzlaff will race alongside Brennan Poole, who before joining Alpha Racing, participated in the Craftsman Truck Series on a part-time basis for On Point Motorsports in 2019. In 2017, Poole raced full-time in the Xfinity Series for Chip Ganassi Racing.

Alpha Prime Racing on having the driver on the roster

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The 21-year-old Parker Retzlaff has a commendable track record that includes three top-five finishes, 12 top-ten finishes, and two pole positions over 75 starts in the Xfinity Series. It is almost undebatable that Retzlaff is well-prepared for this upcoming opportunity to compete in the Xfinity series.

After facing a challenging season marked by 12 DNFs, the Wisconsin driver is eager to compete for the new team. “We all want to win races, be consistent and prove we’re here to compete,” said Retzlaff in a press release. “Everyone here has told me how much they believe in me and what I can do.” And, true enough, Alpha Prime’s team owner Caesar Bacarella recently expressed excitement about bringing Retzlaff on board. “I’m just super excited to have him join us,” Bacarella remarked. “He’s a young, really talented race car driver, and he’s going to help elevate the team.”

Bacarella has achieved two top-ten finishes in limited starts for Alpha Prime, highlighting his skill and potential. He recently reflected on the significant progress the team has made in its first three years, emphasizing the dedication and hard work he and team president Tommy Joe Martins have invested in growing the organization. Talking about the team’s strengths and future potential, he said, “[Tommy] and I agree it’s all about the people. We’re racing against the best teams in the world. But we’ve got great people, and that’s what’s made it work. And now we’ve got two ace drivers in the stable full-time.”

The 2025 Xfinity Series season will start at Daytona International Speedway on February 15. Details of Retzlaff’s sponsors will be shared later.

What do you think of Retzlaff’s move to Alpha Prime Racing?