In April, Stefan Parsons took a detour from his originally scheduled full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series duties with BJ McLeod Motorsports and signed a mid-season deal with Alpha Prime Racing.
Many within the industry expected this to be an amazing opportunity for the 24-year-old, but fast forward to a Friday night in September, and the opportunity has been even bigger than anyone could have possibly imagined.
Parsons, driving the No. 45 Sokal Digital Chevrolet Camaro, took his fast Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet to the front of the pack, recording an eighth-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway, a career-best for the Cornelius, North Carolina-native.
? ANOTHER TOP 10 ?
P8 – @StefanParsons_
P19 – @ryanellisracing #FoodCity300 | @KeenParts | @FightRareCancer | @Go_Sokal pic.twitter.com/BKo1kcrS8p— Alpha Prime Racing (@TeamAlphaPrime) September 17, 2022
The eighth-place run marks Parson’s first-career top-10 finish in 44 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts.
Left in a challenging spot during the race’s final run, tire conservation and consistent laps were the two big factors as the race approached its conclusion, two things that Parsons was able to absolutely nail.
When the race’s final caution was displayed after a crash by JJ Yeley, Parsons was one of only 12 cars on the lead lap, meaning the team’s biggest challenge was simply having a clean pit stop and maintaining a solid track position.
Without question, the “Pickle Gang” got the job done on pit road, allowing Parsons to cruise to a career day for himself and the entire organization.
Some recent experiences in the CARS Late Model Tour event at North Wilkesboro Speedway, where saving tires throughout the entire event and being consistent led him to a ninth-place result, may have helped Parsons when racing at Bristol.
In recent weeks, Parsons has made this a theme in his tenure with Alpha Prime Racing as he’s picked up five top-20 results in his seven starts for the organization this season. The driver and team pairing have continued to build more and more momentum since when Parsons first joined the team five months ago.
Upon joining Alpha Prime Racing, Parsons said: “Joining a new, exciting organization like Alpha Prime Racing gives me a lot to look forward to. With the continued support of Sokal and the opportunity at Alpha Prime Racing, I think we will turn some heads.”
In his tenure in NASCAR’s National Series, Parsons has done just that with multiple organizations in multiple series, but the recent performances as part of his union with Alpha Prime Racing have caught the eye of many in the racing world.
Tommy Joe Martins – co-owner of Alpha Prime Racing along Caesar Bacarella – has been adamant that this wouldn’t be an easy road getting started, but has to be smiling from ear-to-ear with the results as of late.
Martins has built himself an army of people to support his two-car operation – that was once known by the name Martins Motorsports – and can now lay claim to a pair of top-10 results this year at Daytona (Karam) and Bristol (Parsons).
The team says Parsons will compete in all the remaining races this season besides Talladega and Martinsville.
