Parker Retzlaff by his No. 99 Viking Motorsports Chevrolet before the Cuevo 300 at Chicagoland Speedway on Saturday night.
Several NASCAR drivers across the sport’s top three national series proudly call Wisconsin home, and for many of them, Chicagoland Speedway has always felt like their home track.
NASCAR O’Reilly Series driver Parker Retzlaff, who lives in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, is one of them. The drive from Rhinelander to Joliet, Illinois, is about five and a half hours, making Chicagoland the closest NASCAR national-series track to home.
Retzlaff joins a distinguished list of Wisconsin racers that includes Alan Kulwicki (Greenfield), Matt Kenseth (Cambridge), Travis Kvapil (Janesville), and Johnny Sauter (Necedah). The Badger State has also produced NASCAR champions and Hall of Famers Dick Trickle (Wisconsin Rapids), Dave Marcis (Wausau), and Ted Musgrave (Franklin). Current Wisconsin drivers include Ty Majeski (Seymour), Sam Mayer (Franklin), Josh Bilicki (Richfield), and another familiar name we’ll get to later.
This season, Retzlaff became the full-time driver of the No. 99 for Viking Motorsports. The partnership has already produced the organization’s strongest season since it launched in 2024, with Retzlaff consistently delivering results that surpass the team’s previous benchmarks.
Although he’s raced for several NASCAR organizations part-time while gaining experience in the ARCA platform and regional series, Viking Motorsports has finally provided him with a place to build something long-term.
As NASCAR returned to Chicagoland Speedway for the first time since 2019, I sat down with Retzlaff to discuss his racing journey, what the track means to him, and what he expected from one of NASCAR’s most anticipated returns.
There’s one interesting note: when NASCAR last raced at Chicagoland in 2019, Retzlaff was just 16 years old. This weekend marked his first opportunity to compete there.
Finding His Racing Path
Like many Wisconsin racers, Retzlaff’s first inspiration came from watching off-road racing at Crandon International Raceway, along with local dirt-track competition. But while off-road racing caught his attention, it wasn’t the path he ultimately chose.
“Off-road was a little too expensive. So, I got into local sprint car racing as a young kid, and that was something I could do with my family.”
Of course, sprint car racing isn’t inexpensive either. Like countless racing families, the Retzlaffs spent years traveling throughout the Midwest chasing opportunities while working tirelessly to secure sponsorships.
“It was about trying to get everything you can and get all the partners and sponsors you can get to make it all a reality.”
One sponsor has remained with him nearly every step of the way: FunkAway.
“They’ve been with me since the start of my NASCAR career,” Retzlaff said. “They’ve been the biggest supporter of my career to date. They’re really close family friends now. They come to probably five races a year, and they’re watching on TV every week.”
The Challenge of Chicagoland
One of the biggest talking points throughout the weekend was Chicagoland Speedway’s bumps, particularly entering Turns 1 and 3.
Retzlaff feels that Turn 1 would be the bigger challenge.
“Yeah, I think the three and four bumps didn’t seem very bad to me, but Turn 1 is definitely a very big bump on entry there. You can really have some problems there if your car isn’t driving very good.”
Our conversation took place after practice but before the race, and he expected those bumps to become even more significant once drivers were racing side by side.
“I think you definitely can be put into some very bad spots with the bumps. If you’re racing with someone and they’re not aware of where those bumps are on the race track, you can end up in a very bad spot. So, I think today you’ll see some of that stuff happen. I think it’s going to add some character and a little more challenge to this race.”
Despite never racing there before, Retzlaff immediately appreciated Chicagoland’s unique personality.
“Really cool. It races a lot like Kansas to me. I think the bumps add some character to it—something that gives you a little more of a challenge. Overall, it’s been pretty good to me so far.”
Building Something at Viking Motorsports
Before joining Viking Motorsports, Retzlaff admitted he never truly felt like he had a long-term home.
After several conversations with the organization, he believed their vision aligned with his own.
“They have a lot of good people in place. I think it ended up being a really good fit for me, and overall, they’ve done a really good job of putting the right people in the right places.”
The results speak for themselves.
Through 23 races this season, Retzlaff has earned three top-five finishes and ten top-tens, helping Viking Motorsports enjoy its most successful season since its inception.
His weekly goals remain simple.
“A top-ten finish, bring home a clean car, and find something to build on for the future.”
Entering the final stretch before the Chase, Retzlaff sat ninth in the standings, just seven points above the cut line.
His priorities are clear.
“My first goal is to make the Chase. Then I want to sit down as a team and figure out what our plan is and what we’re going to change to get a little bit better.”
Getting to Know Parker Retzlaff
Growing up, Kyle Larson was his favorite driver. Ironically, despite now competing against him in NASCAR, Retzlaff says they’ve never really had the chance to talk.
Among Wisconsin’s NASCAR drivers, however, there’s one with whom he has a long-standing friendship.
“I grew up with Derek Kraus. He raced the Truck Series for a while, so we still talk a little bit here and there.”
Kraus, from Stratford, Wisconsin, lives about 90 miles from Rhinelander. As Retzlaff’s father reminded me, though, “They traveled all over to race,” which is how the friendship developed.
Away from the racetrack, Retzlaff enjoys playing basketball—although he’s quick to laugh at his own game.
“I try to play basketball from time to time. But people will not tell you that I need to be playing in any higher-tier leagues.”
He also enjoys learning about the stock market and investing, while spending plenty of time in the sim practicing and occasionally on iRacing to sharpen his skills.
Looking Ahead
Retzlaff has built strong relationships with Viking Motorsports, his teammates, and his sponsors. More importantly, he has developed a clear vision for where he wants both his career and the organization to go.
Rather than worrying about what others are doing, he remains focused on improving every week, learning from each race, and helping elevate the entire program.
If Viking Motorsports reaches the Chase for the first time, Retzlaff will have played the biggest role in making that happen.
Watching him this season, one thought keeps coming to mind: Parker Retzlaff reminds me of The Little Engine That Could. He may not have the largest budget or the biggest organization behind him, but through determination, consistency, and steady improvement, he’s proving that persistence can make all the difference.
And if that momentum continues, don’t be surprised if Parker Retzlaff leads Viking Motorsports into its first-ever Chase appearance.
