The silly season saga was on a break for quite some time after the NASCAR season drew its curtains. However, the announcement of Riley Herbst to 23XI Racing seems to have breathed new life into the rumor mills. And it looks like most of the teams across the series want to conclude their business before the holiday season.

While the Cup Series and Xfinity Series teams have been in the news for quite some time, the Truck Series is now slowly but steadily catching up. Going by the latest updates, former Xfinity Series driver Parker Retzlaff could be headed to Spire Motorsports. Now, this is indeed a surprise, given how his exit from Jordan Anderson Racing was mired in controversy.

Is Parker Retzlaff headed to Spire after the Daytona fiasco?

Now we’ve all seen what transpired at Martinsville Speedway in the cut-off Cup Series playoff race. OEMs tried their level best in getting their race cars in the championship race in Phoenix. The Chevy duo of Austin Dillon and Ross Chastain formed a blockade and helped ease William Byron’s path to the final 4. This goes on to show how influential the OEM partners are, and they can have a final say in important decisions within a race team.

Something that fans believed happened with Retzlaff, who fell out of favor within the Chevy camp for the way he raced at Daytona. Call it fate or bad luck, the young driver, while competing in the Cup race at Daytona, proved to be a game changer. On the late-race restart, he found himself in the second row and lined up behind Harrison Burton.

Usually, the same team partners are expected to help each other, but Retzlaff opted to push the #21 on the crucial final lap, which allowed Burton to clinch a massive win. There were murmurs that Retzlaff would face the wrath of Chevy for not helping out Rowdy in sealing a playoff spot. While it is hard to confirm the JAR’s decision to part ways with their driver had anything to do with it, fans were sold on this theory.

Without the backing of big-name sponsors, it is indeed hard for a young driver to find a new ride. But it seems like Chevrolet isn’t giving up on Parker Retzlaff just yet. A fan page on Instagram wrote, “At first I didn’t believe the Retzlaff to Spire trucks rumors. Now I do.” Given that most of the rumors have indeed turned out to be true, there could be a possibility that Retzlaff finds a ride next year, that too within a Chevy camp.

But, given the number of drivers linked to Spire Motorsports in the Truck Series, where does Retzlaff fit in? Moreover, will Spire be willing to part ways with Chase Purdy or Rajah Caruth to accommodate a new driver?

Where does Parker Retzlaff fit in at Spire?

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Currently, Spire Motorsports has two full-time rides, No. 71 for Rajah Caruth and No. 77 for Chase Purdy. The team also fields one part-time entry, the No. 7, which is shared by multiple drivers, including 2-time Cup Series champ Kyle Busch. Stepping down from the Xfinity Series might sound like a demotion, but a ride at Spire is indeed a good prospect.

Look at Rajah Caruth; he was unsure about his future in the Truck Series until Rick Hendrick decided to fund his ride for the season. And well, he certainly made the most of it. He won the race at Las Vegas and would go on to race for the championship in his first playoff appearance. So going by Caruth’s solid 2024, it is indeed hard to see him making way for Retzlaff. But the same cannot be said for Chase Purdy.

Purdy had a decent enough season driving the #77 Spire Truck. With four top-10 finishes and two top-5 results, he managed to finish 15th in the drivers standings. However, if we are to compare this with Caruth’s run, you see the team might be tempted to make a change here. Although Retzlaff is a proven winner himself, his experience on the superspeedway is something Spire can leverage.

All of this isn’t certain; who knows, Retzlaff may have an opportunity at the Xfinity level itself. Or Spire could decide to go with a different option. So it would be better if we take these rumors with a grain of salt and await any official confirmation.