Parker Retzlaff — Driver Profile
Car: No. 99 | Team: Viking Motorsports | Manufacturer: Chevrolet Crew Chief: Danny Efland | Sponsors: Funkaway, Kyro Whiskey, South Carolina Outcast, SciAps Status: Full-time | Hometown: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Age: 22
2026 Season
Parker Retzlaff is the breakout story of the 2026 O'Reilly Series season so far. The 22-year-old Viking Motorsports driver sits ninth in points — inside the playoff cutline — with three top 10s, one top five (a runner-up at EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta), and zero DNFs through eight races. His average finish of 12.4 is the most remarkable number: it ranks among the best in the series and comes from a mid-tier program that qualified for the field with an average starting position of 17.5.
2026 Stats (through 8 races): 9th in points (229 pts) | 0 wins | 1 top 5 | 3 top 10s | 17.5 avg. start | 12.4 avg. finish | 0 laps led
Career
Retzlaff drove for Viking Motorsports in prior OARS seasons and was a key part of the team's decision to expand to a full two-car effort in 2026. The Wisconsin native's résumé coming into 2026 suggested solid mid-pack potential, but his early performance has exceeded even optimistic projections. Viking's technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing has given the team a resource upgrade that Retzlaff is clearly putting to use.
The Story
Retzlaff is the most interesting overperformance story in the 2026 O'Reilly Series. A driver starting 17th on average, finishing 12th, from a team with mid-tier resources, sitting inside the playoff bubble — that combination doesn't happen by accident. The question is whether Viking and Retzlaff can sustain a performance level that has already exceeded what most observers expected when the season started.