Parker Retzlaff had a huge role in making Harrison Burton win at Daytona. Heading into the last lap, Retzlaff decided to give him a little push, literally, as the #21 and then-race leader Kyle Busch went door to door. Unfortunately, the No.62 ended up helping Burton win the race in a Ford Mustang, which Chevrolet did not appreciate, as per NASCAR journalist Danielle Trotta.

What’s more: Retzlaff was vehemently instructed not to “push the 21 to a win”, one report claimed. After the race, someone from the team was also heard saying on the radio: “We did the exact opposite of what they asked us to do.” But that’s not the end of the budding controversy.

For those who don’t know, Daytona was just his second start in the Cup Series fold after Talladega. Retzlaff’s Beard Motorsports team—a small team with just 43 Cup Series starts to date—is in a technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing. Remember this as you read the story further.

For those who don’t know, Daytona was just his second start in the Cup Series fold after Talladega. Retzlaff’s Beard Motorsports team — a small team with just 43 Cup Series starts to date — is in a technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing. Remember this as you read the story further.

The driver is in a pinch, it seems. Yet he refused to delve deeper into the consequences he’ll be facing. What he did reveal was that despite the race outcome, his goal was not to make Burton win but to get a win for himself. He was lined up 4th and thought a push would help him leapfrog the competition, but the plan backfired. But as per some NASCAR insiders, some heavy repercussions are indeed headed his way.

Jeff Gluck, during a conversation with Jordan Bianchi on The Teardown podcast, revealed, “I feel bad for him because there’s probably going to be some bad blood and don’t forget too, that team is kind of a quasi-affiliate team of RCR… You can see why they’re putting in this kid’s head of, ‘Hey, do this’.” The journalist also acknowledged that some things are easier said than done, especially in a race’s closing moments, as must have been the case with the BM driver.

Ultimately, Retzlaff’s goal was to gain recognition and promote his sponsor. However, after the race, Retzlaff came forward to share his thoughts on what he planned on doing in the race and how it did not work out for him.

Parker Retzlaff reveals his true intentions at Daytona

After the race ended, and the dust had settled, Sirius XM interviewed Parker Retzlaff. He spilled the beans during the interview, and tried to clear out his name after being accused of helping the Ford car win to make things right with Chevrolet.

“I don’t know what the right decision truly was, but when I could see that we had a run on the backstretch and I kind of felt like I had a shot — I haven’t been here. This is only my second year, I haven’t been in the NASCAR scene very long, but I just wanted to put myself on the map. And I felt like it was a great opportunity for everyone at FunkAway and me to show that I could compete,” he alluded.

Retzlaff did not want to help the Ford but just wanted to clear Burton’s car so he could pull off a victory in his second Cup Series start. The young driver reiterated himself and explained how being on the map was the only thought going through his head, and at the time, trying to clear Burton was what he thought of. In another interview with Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass, he stated, “I definitely didn’t want to push a Ford to te win in a Chevy. But I knew I needed to get Harrison clear to make it a race between me and him to race to the line there. I had a little bit of nose damage and my line broke apart down the backstretch. I pushed him clear and my line broke apart and I had no chance to get clear.”

Do you think Parker Retzlaff meant to help Burton win the race, or was it just a misunderstanding? Share your thoughts in the comments below.