NASCAR insider Taylor Kitchen clarified that Kyle Busch’s loss at Daytona was not due to Parker Retzlaff’s actions. According to Kitchen, there was nothing Retzlaff, the Beard Motorsports driver, could have done to assist Busch, as Christopher Bell was already positioned in the inside line behind Busch’s #8 Chevrolet.
The race in question, the Coke Zero Sugar 400, marked the 25th event of the Cup Series season and was marred by multiple crashes and cautions in the final stages. These incidents led to Busch and Harrison Burton securing the front row, with Bell and Retzlaff lined up behind them.
As the race approached its climax, Busch was leading and on the verge of claiming his first win of the season, while Burton was in second place. Retzlaff, driving the #62 Chevrolet, gave Burton’s #21 Ford a push, which gave Burton the momentum to overtake Busch. Unfortunately for Busch, who was relying on his draft, he couldn’t regain enough ground to reclaim the lead from Burton.
Burton’s victory secured his spot in the playoffs, while Busch found himself in a precarious position, needing a win to ensure his playoff qualification. A user on X (formerly Twitter) commented on the situation, suggesting that Chevy/RCR had criticized Retzlaff for not aiding Busch at Daytona.
Taylor Kitchen responded by outlining the circumstances of the overtime restart, emphasizing that the order of the lineup left Retzlaff with no safe or fair options to assist Busch. She pointed out that the restart order placed Busch and Burton in the front, with Bell and Retzlaff following. Since Bell had chosen the inside line behind Busch, Retzlaff had limited opportunities to help Busch without compromising his own position or safety.
This race outcome could have significant consequences for Busch, as it might be the first time since his full-time debut in 2005 that he fails to qualify for the Cup Series playoffs.
Parker Retzlaff himself addressed the situation, expressing that he did not intend to push a Ford to victory. The rookie Cup Series driver, participating in only his second race at Daytona, faced criticism for his actions on the final lap. However, he received support from various figures within the NASCAR community, including Denny Hamlin’s crew chief, Chris Gabehart, Jeff Gluck of The Athletic, and legendary driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Retzlaff explained that he did not want the race to end as it did but emphasized his commitment to achieving the best possible result for his sponsor, FunkAway. The Coke Zero Sugar 400 was FunkAway’s debut in the Cup Series, and Retzlaff wanted to ensure a strong performance for the brand. He shared in an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that while pushing a Ford to victory wasn’t his goal, he also didn’t want to jeopardize a positive outcome for FunkAway, which had supported him for the past two years.
The situation has further intensified as the Final Appeals Officer upheld Austin Dillon’s penalty, leaving both RCR drivers in a must-win scenario to secure a spot in the playoffs. However, only one of them can ultimately make it.
“Nothing he could have done to help the No. 8”: Denny Hamlin defends Parker Retzlaff’s move that destroyed Kyle Busch’s potential Daytona win
