NASCAR expert Taylor Kitchen clarified that Kyle Busch’s loss at Daytona should not be blamed on Parker Retzlaff. She emphasized that the Beard Motorsports driver was in a position where he couldn’t have assisted the Richard Childress Racing driver, as Christopher Bell was already positioned on the inside line behind Busch’s #8 Chevy.
The Coke Zero Sugar 400 marked the 25th race in the Cup Series and was filled with numerous collisions and cautions during its second and final stages. This led to Busch and Harrison Burton securing the front-row positions, with Bell and Retzlaff right behind them.
As Busch crossed the white flag in the lead, he was on the verge of clinching his first victory of the season, with Burton trailing in second. However, Burton received a push from Retzlaff’s #62 Chevy, which helped him gain momentum against the two-time Cup Series champion. Despite Busch’s efforts to use the draft, he couldn’t create enough distance to reclaim the lead from Burton’s #21 Ford.
Consequently, the WBR driver secured his playoff spot, while the RCR driver found himself in a must-win situation to qualify. In light of the playoff implications, an X (formerly Twitter) user commented.
Chevy/RCR expressed frustration towards Parker Retzlaff on Saturday night at Daytona for not assisting Kyle Busch in securing the victory.
In response, Taylor Kitchen pointed out the order of the overtime restart, stating:
“The choose order was Kyle Busch, Harrison Burton, Christopher Bell, and then Parker Retzlaff. Bell opted for the inside line right behind Busch. At that moment, there was really nothing Parker Retzlaff could have done to aid the No. 8 without compromising the safety of his fellow competitors and the integrity of his own position in the race.”
If Kyle Busch does not qualify for the playoffs, it will mark the first time since his full-time entry into the series in 2005 that he won’t be contending for the Cup Series title.
“I didn’t plan on pushing a Ford to victory,” Parker Retzlaff remarked regarding the last-lap situation at Daytona.
According to Taylor Kitchen, Parker Retzlaff was in a position where he couldn’t safely assist Kyle Busch in winning. The rookie Cup Series driver, who was participating in his second race at Daytona, faced criticism for his actions on the final lap. However, many within the NASCAR community came to his defense, including Denny Hamlin’s crew chief Chris Gabehart, Jeff Gluck from The Athletic, and the iconic Dale Earnhardt Jr., among others.
Retzlaff elaborated on his last-lap maneuver, expressing his disappointment with how the race ended. The 21-year-old emphasized his desire to secure the best possible outcome for his sponsor, FunkAway, especially since the Coke Zero Sugar 400 marked their inaugural Cup Series event. He shared his thoughts during an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio:
“I didn’t intend to push a Ford to victory, but FunkAway has been my supporter for the past two years in NASCAR, and this was their first Cup race. I wanted to do everything I could to deliver a strong result and make a name for myself. The way the race concluded wasn’t what I had hoped for, pushing a Ford, but I also didn’t want to compromise a good result for FunkAway, given their support.” [00:19]
In other news, the Final Appeals Officer has confirmed Austin Dillon’s penalty, putting both RCR drivers in a must-win scenario, though only one can advance to the playoffs.
