Parker Retzlaff Bio
Parker Edward Retzlaff (born May 21, 2003) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, driving the No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro SS for Viking Motorsports. A product of Wisconsin’s short-track scene, Retzlaff has progressed through junior open-wheel cars, regional stock car divisions, and the ARCA ladder before reaching the national NASCAR ranks. Standing 180 centimeters tall and weighing roughly 59 kilograms, he has built a reputation as a determined young competitor in the Chevrolet camp.
Early Life and Background
Parker Edward Retzlaff was born on May 21, 2003, in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, a small community in the state’s Northwoods region. He grew up around cars and engines, and that environment quickly shaped his childhood. By the time he was nine years old, Retzlaff was already competing in the Wisconsin Junior Sprints, where he captured the mid-season championship in 2012.
The following year, Retzlaff moved into the Wisconsin Bandolero Series and finished third in the season standings. He returned in 2014 to claim the series championship, demonstrating early consistency and race craft. From 2015 to 2016, he ranked second in Wisconsin state points, signaling that he was ready to step into heavier, faster equipment on regional ovals.
Path to NASCAR
Retzlaff advanced to the ARCA Midwest Tour in 2017, where he ran a full schedule and ended the year fourteenth in the overall standings. He simultaneously competed in the Midwest Truck Series asphalt truck division, finishing second in points that season. In 2018, he placed sixth in the Midwest Truck Series standings, a result that opened the door to NASCAR’s developmental ladder.
In 2019, Retzlaff signed with Visconti Motorsports for two races in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, scoring a top-ten at Memphis International Raceway and a top-five at Gateway Motorsports Park. He also made his K&N Pro Series West debut at Gateway, finishing fifth. The performances convinced Cook-Finley Racing to sign him for a full 2020 campaign in the East series, where he earned five top-tens and finished fourth in points.
Parker Retzlaff Career
Early Career (2017-2020)
Retzlaff’s transition into stock cars began in the ARCA Midwest Tour and Midwest Truck Series, where he regularly competed against drivers several years his senior. His 2017 and 2018 seasons produced a fourteenth-place Midwest Tour result and a sixth-place Midwest Truck Series finish, both of which helped attract the attention of NASCAR K&N Pro Series teams.
His two-race stint with Visconti Motorsports in 2019 produced immediate results, including a fifth-place run at Gateway that matched his best K&N West finish in a single start. The following year, Retzlaff’s first full ARCA Menards Series East campaign with Cook-Finley Racing delivered five top-tens and a fourth-place ranking in the final standings, a breakthrough that positioned him for national NASCAR opportunities.
NASCAR Xfinity and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Breakthrough (2022-2024)
On December 3, 2021, Retzlaff signed with RSS Racing for a part-time effort in the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 38. In his debut at the United Rentals 200, he qualified a strong sixth before a fuel pump issue ended his day early. He later scored his best finish of the year with a tenth-place run at the ToyotaCare 250. After mutually parting with RSS Racing in September 2022, he closed the year with a one-off appearance in the No. 02 for Our Motorsports at Texas.
On January 4, 2023, Jordan Anderson Racing announced Retzlaff as the full-time driver of the No. 31 for the 2023 Xfinity Series season. He opened the year with a career-best fourth-place finish at Daytona and added one top-five and seven top-tens to finish sixteenth in points. In 2024, he returned to JAR and earned his and the team’s first career poles at Richmond and Martinsville, although he ended the year twenty-first in the standings with four top-ten finishes.
On December 18, 2024, Retzlaff was announced as the driver of the No. 4 Chevrolet for Alpha Prime Racing. At Rockingham in April, he originally finished third, but post-race inspection moved him up to a new career-best second place after the apparent winner was disqualified. On November 3, 2025, it was revealed that Retzlaff would not return to APR, and on November 7, 2025, Viking Motorsports confirmed he would drive the No. 99 Chevrolet for the 2026 season.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (2022)
On September 26, 2022, Retzlaff was revealed as the driver of the No. 20 Young’s Motorsports entry for the Truck Series race at Talladega Superspeedway. The superspeedway start gave him his first taste of NASCAR’s top-three national touring series and provided additional seat time on the big ovals.
NASCAR Cup Series Debut (2024)
Retzlaff’s first NASCAR Cup Series start came on August 5, 2024, at Richmond Raceway in the Cook Out 400, driving the No. 66 for MBM Motorsports. He started thirty-seventh and finished thirty-fifth, six laps down, in a learning experience required before his originally announced Daytona debut. At the Coke Zero Sugar 400 later that season, he delivered an impressive seventh-place finish after pushing Harrison Burton to the lead under an overtime restart.
ARCA Menards Series (2020-2023)
Retzlaff made his ARCA Menards Series national division debut in 2020 with Cook-Finley Racing in paired East series events, with a best finish of eighth at Toledo Speedway. He returned in 2021 for the Milwaukee Mile paired race, finishing eleventh. In 2023, he rejoined ARCA competition with Young’s Motorsports for the Portland and Sonoma road course rounds, gaining valuable experience on permanent road circuits.
Driving Style and Strengths
Retzlaff has shown particular comfort on superspeedways and intermediate tracks, where patience and drafting技巧 pay off. His pole-winning runs at Richmond and Martinsville with Jordan Anderson Racing highlighted his raw single-lap speed in qualifying trim. He is also known for a calm, analytical approach inside the cockpit and for the maturity he has displayed in adapting to new teams and manufacturers throughout his young career.
Notable Races and Milestones
Retzlaff’s signature results to date include a fourth-place finish in the 2023 Xfinity Series opener at Daytona, his first career Cup Series top-ten in the 2024 Coke Zero Sugar 400, and a runner-up result at Rockingham in 2025 after post-race inspection. He also became the first driver to score a pole for Jordan Anderson Racing in the Xfinity Series, doing so at both Richmond and Martinsville in 2024.
Parker Retzlaff Career Wins
Across his time in the NASCAR Xfinity, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Camping World Truck, and ARCA Menards Series ranks, Retzlaff has yet to record a verified national-series victory. His strongest results have been a second-place run at Rockingham in 2025 and a fourth-place finish in the 2023 Xfinity Series opener at Daytona, both of which marked new career bests at the time.
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Highlights
Retzlaff’s best confirmed O’Reilly Auto Parts and Xfinity Series finishes are the second place at Rockingham in 2025, the fourth at Daytona in 2023, and the seventh at the Coke Zero Sugar 400 Cup race later that year. He has also captured two poles at the Xfinity level with Jordan Anderson Racing in 2024, at Richmond and Martinsville.
Other Wins and Performances
In developmental competition, Retzlaff’s most significant non-NASCAR results include the 2012 Wisconsin Junior Sprints mid-season championship, the 2014 Wisconsin Bandolero Series title, and a fourth-place finish in the 2020 ARCA Menards Series East standings with Cook-Finley Racing. He also posted a top-five in his 2019 K&N Pro Series West debut at Gateway Motorsports Park.
Parker Retzlaff Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Retzlaff grew up in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, in a household that supported his early racing ambitions. His career began in local Wisconsin short-track divisions, and family encouragement helped him move from Junior Sprints and Bandoleros into regional stock car competition.
Personal Life
Retzlaff currently resides in his hometown of Rhinelander, Wisconsin. Outside of racing, he is a fan of NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson and enjoys playing basketball, working on race cars, and occasionally racing on his iRacing simulator during his free time.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series campaign was Retzlaff’s first season with Alpha Prime Racing in the No. 4 Chevrolet. After moving over from Jordan Anderson Racing, he quickly adapted to his new team and produced consistent results, highlighted by a third-place run at Rockingham in April. When post-race inspection disqualified the apparent winner, Retzlaff was elevated to a new career-best second place, giving APR its strongest result of the year.
Across the season, Retzlaff regularly qualified inside the top fifteen and posted multiple top-fifteen finishes on intermediates and short tracks. Although he did not capture a win, his average finishes and steady playoff positioning kept APR competitive in the midfield throughout the summer. He also continued to show superspeedway strength, capitalizing on clean air and smart pit calls to move forward on drafting tracks.
Looking ahead, Retzlaff’s future with Alpha Prime Racing was confirmed to end on November 3, 2025, and four days later Viking Motorsports announced that he would drive the No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro SS for the 2026 season. That move sets up a fresh chapter as he prepares to build a new program with a growing team and chase his first national-series victory.