Caesar Bacarella, the co-owner of the Alpha Prime Racing NASCAR Xfinity Series team, who is fresh off his first career top-five finish as a driver last weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, revealed on this week’s The Motor Stardom Show how things are going for the organization driver-wise as the 2026 season closes in.
According to Bacarella, Alpha Prime Racing has no drivers signed on for next season as of now, and there is an expectation that the team will not see 22-year-old Parker Retzlaff return to the organization’s No. 4 entry for the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts (Xfinity) Series season.
“The kid has a really bright future, you know, and I hope he moves up,” Bacarella said of Retzlaff. “We had the conversations for next year. I don’t think he’s going to be with us. I hope he might be going to a bigger team, which I’m hoping. I’m proud of the kid, so if he has other opportunities, I said, ‘Attaboy, go ahead, go for it,’ but would love to have him back. You know?”
Back in April, Dale Earnhardt Jr. called Retzlaff a real talent, who he felt would win in top-tier equipment, in an interview with Racing America On SI.
Retzlaff, a native of Rhinelander, WI, has struggled through a frustrating season with Alpha Prime Racing, but he has had some highlights, including a runner-up finish at Rockingham Speedway, to hang his hat on this season.
With two races remaining in the NASCAR Xfinity Series season, Retzlaff ranks 22nd in the championship standings.
A few slots above Retzlaff in the standings is Brennan Poole, the driver of the No. 44 Alpha Prime Racing entry, in 19th in the standings. Poole, who has consistently punched above his weight since joining Alpha Prime Racing in 2024, is also not signed on to return to Alpha Prime Racing as of yet.
Bacarella admits that this is an unfamiliar situation for his race team to be this late in the season without knowing for sure who will be behind the wheel of at least one of the team’s cars the following season.
“Poole, we don’t know what Poole is going to do next year, still, so right now we don’t have any drivers for next year, signed, you know? So, we’re kinda in limbo,” Bacarella explained. “It’s kinda sketchy for the first time. It’s like, we’ve done better, but right now, we don’t have anybody signed for next year.”
Who will end up behind the wheel for Alpha Prime Racing next season? Time will tell, but as of right now, it looks like there’s a better-than-not chance there could be a completely different driver roster for the team in 2026.
