Parker Retzlaff Issues Apology After COTA Heartbreak – ‘I Don’t Even Know What To Say’

Parker Retzlaff has issued an apology to his team and sponsors after failing to qualify for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Focused Health 250 at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

This was the Alpha Prime Racing driver’s first failure to qualify since going full-time in the Xfinity Series back in 2023.

Retzlaff took to social media to share his disappointment. He openly shared:

“I don’t even know what to say. Never in my life was this even a thought. I’m sorry to my team, my sponsors and everyone who supports me.”

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Prior to the COTA, Retzlaff finished 29th at Daytona and 27th at Atlanta Motor Speedway, highlighting the tough start to the year with his new team, Alpha Prime Racing. This team, co-owned by Caesar Bacarella and Tommy Joe Martins, is still establishing itself in the NASCAR Xfinity Series after being founded in 2022.

At COTA, Parker Retzlaff’s qualifying lap placed him 40th, a hefty four seconds slower than Connor Zilisch, who took the pole position. This put him behind his teammate Brad Perez by nearly a second. Perez managed to secure the 39th qualifying spot, just shy of making the main event, while Brennan Poole, another teammate, finished 32nd.

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Tommy Joe Martins, co-owner of Alpha Prime Racing, addressed the situation, taking to social media to express responsibility, saying:

“The worst day in company history & I take full responsibility for it. @Parker79p & @bradxperez are both great racecar drivers. I’m sorry to their sponsors & teams who trusted APR & myself. I haven’t put us in a position to succeed. I’m embarrassed, & will be for a very long time.”

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NASCAR Xfinity Series: Current Standings

1. Austin Hill – 84 points
2. Sheldon Creed – 83 points
3. Jesse Love – 78 points
4. Justin Allgaier – 76 points
5. Jeb Burton – 66 points
6. Harrison Burton – 61 points
7. Jeremy Clements – 55 points
8. Sam Mayer – 53 points
9. Carson Kvapil – 53 points
10. Matt DiBenedetto – 51 points
11. Sammy Smith – 50 points
12. Leland Honeyman – 50 points
13. Taylor Gray – 45 points
14. Ryan Sieg – 44 points
15. Nicholas Sanchez – 42 points
16. Dean Thompson – 40 points
17. William Sawalich – 40 points
18. Aric Almirola – 39 points
19. Josh Williams – 39 points
20. Christian Eckes – 38 points
21. Joey Gase – 38 points
22. Ryan Ellis – 33 points
23. Daniel Dye – 31 points
24. Jordan Anderson – 30 points
25. Josh Bilicki – 30 points
26. Patrick Emerling – 27 points
27. Brennan Poole – 27 points
28. Brandon Jones – 25 points
29. Caesar Bacarella – 24 points
30. Anthony Alfredo – 24 points
31. Blaine Perkins – 21 points
32. Connor Zilisch – 21 points
33. Ryan Truex – 20 points
34. Garrett Smithley – 19 points
35. Parker Retzlaff – 18 points
36. Kris Wright – 16 points
37. Nick Leitz – 15 points
38. Justin Bonsignore – 12 points
39. CJ McLaughlin – 12 points
40. Greg Van Alst – 11 points
41. Mason Massey – 9 points
42. Mason Maggio – 6 points
43. Carson Ware – 5 points
44. Kyle Sieg – 5 points