NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin praised Parker Retzlaff on social media after the young driver delivered an eighth-place finish at Rockingham Speedway in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. Martin made it clear he sees something real in Retzlaff’s rise.
Mark Martin Endorses Parker Retzlaff Following Strong Rockingham Performance
After Retzlaff’s eighth-place finish at Rockingham, Martin posted on X: “This guy @Parker79p continues to over perform. I’m excited to watch his climb. It’s underestimated how difficult it is to do what he and this team is doing.”
The endorsement carried weight because it came from one of NASCAR’s most respected names. Martin has no reason to oversell a mid-pack driver unless he genuinely believes it. Retzlaff drives the No. 99 Viking Motorsports Chevrolet, and the team is still in its early stages. However, the speed has been consistent, which is not something every new program can say.
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After the Rockingham race, Retzlaff spoke about the finish with a measured tone. “Yeah, I mean, I think the race was overall very clean and good,” he said. “We were overall just, I think we were a little bit better when we finished. Just couldn’t get the track position we needed, whether it was just restarts or pit road.”
He kept the bigger picture in mind, and Retzlaff did not let the result overshadow the progress. “Overall a good day for everyone at Viking Motorsports,” Retzlaff added. “And, you know, just got to keep building. I mean, this team is very new, but overall just showing a lot of speed week in and week out.”
When asked what was driving the team’s momentum, Retzlaff deflected the credit. “Yeah, I mean, I think it’s just the leadership and ownership and all the crew guys and crew chiefs who are there who put all the hard work in,” he said. “Just the one lucky enough to get to drive for a team like this and just got to keep building it. I think we’re building something really special.”
Retzlaff also reflected on how the Rockingham track itself has evolved. “Yeah, I mean, I think it was actually pretty different, but also different to go to,” he said. He noted that the surface widened out considerably compared to prior years and took rubber well in Stage 1, opening up multiple racing lanes.
On top of that, Retzlaff believes the track is heading toward something strong over the next couple of seasons. The Rockingham result is the latest chapter in a career that has been building quietly but steadily.
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Retzlaff began full-time competition in the O’Reilly Series in 2023 with Jordan Anderson Racing. He drove the No. 31 Chevy for two years before joining Alpha Prime Racing in 2025. His first career start in the series came in March 2022 at Phoenix Raceway; therefore, 2026 marks his fifth season competing in the series.
Entering this year, he had logged 15 top-10 finishes across 107 starts, and he also had a pair of NASCAR Cup Series starts in 2024. This includes a seventh-place finish in the Daytona summer race. In 2026, Retzlaff currently sits ninth in series standings through eight starts. He is holding 229 points with one top-five finish already on the board.
Martin’s post may have been just a few lines, but it put a name on something that race fans have quietly noticed: Retzlaff and Viking Motorsports are not just showing up. They are building toward something, and the results are starting to reflect it.