The 2024 NASCAR season concluded nearly a month ago, but the racing world has hardly slowed down. Fans have been kept on their toes with ongoing news, including the high-profile 23XI Racing-Front Row Motorsports antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR and a whirlwind of Silly Season moves across all three national touring series. The latest headlines came on Friday from Jordan Anderson Racing (JAR), which unveiled its two-driver roster for the 2025 Xfinity Series. The team announced that veteran driver Jeb Burton would return to JAR, alongside Blaine Perkins, who competed for RSS Racing in 2024. This news also confirmed that Parker Retzlaff, who had driven the No. 31 car for the team in each of the past two seasons, would not be returning for a third year.
Burton, who joined SiriusXM NASCAR Radio as a guest, expressed his excitement about coming back to JAR for another season and outlined his expectations for 2025. However, he also opened up about the difficult decision to part ways with Retzlaff, offering some candid thoughts on the situation.
“Parker Retzlaff was a great teammate, and we got along really well. I wish him nothing but the best in his future,” Burton said. “The reason Parker’s not coming back has nothing to do with Blaine; it’s just how this sport works. NASCAR is a business that’s powered by sponsorships, and we’ve all faced that reality. It’s not always about performance, but also about funding and support, and that’s something that can be tough to navigate.”
Burton went on to remind listeners that Retzlaff is only 21 years old and has plenty of time to find success in the sport. “I told Parker a couple of weeks ago to keep his head up. He’s a talented driver and has a bright future ahead of him. It’s a hard place to be, but I’ve been there myself.”
Retzlaff’s situation underscores a harsh reality of NASCAR—talented drivers can find their careers derailed not by lack of skill, but by the financial challenges that come with racing in a sport so dependent on sponsorships. For many, including Retzlaff, these financial constraints can dictate career outcomes despite the potential for success on the track.
