Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Surprise Backing of Chevrolet’s Traitor Leaves the Young NASCAR Driver in Awe

Some drivers grab the limelight with their wins. Others drift into infamy without ever visiting victory lane. For Parker Retzlaff, it was one late race decision that branded him a ‘traitor’ and forever sullied his reputation in the eyes of Chevrolet. It was the Coke Zero Sugar 400 in 2024, and Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch in the #8 Chevrolet was poised to win. During the final lap, Busch was battling it out with Harrison Burton, a driver who had never won a Cup Series race yet. In a shocking turn of events, Burton won! But it was all thanks to an act of ‘betrayal’ from Busch’s fellow Chevrolet.

Parker Retzlaff was driving the #62 Chevrolet for Beard Motorsports and was running right behind the two. In an attempt to win the race, he nudged Harrison Burton’s Ford ahead of Busch! This infuriated the Chevrolet faction while Retzlaff was left red-faced. “The end of the race is definitely not what we hoped for,” Retzlaff said after. Despite all this backlash from Chevrolet, a year later, NASCAR’s prodigal son and lifelong Chevrolet man, Dale Earnhardt Jr., spoke up, shocking the garage and changing the tide.

Parker Retzlaff gets the Dale Earnhardt Jr. seal of approval

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is never one to shy away from favoring an underdog. From reviving Josh Berry’s career to promoting Sam Mayer and Carson Kvapil up the ladder at JR Motorsports, Junior has erected more than a legacy of racing. JRM was home to budding Xfinity talents like Chase Elliott and Tyler Reddick, who have since gone on to be multiple race winners at NASCAR’s highest level, with Elliott even securing the championship in 2020. So, if you have Dale Jr.’s backing, you are likely on the right path.

And Junior has been a Chevrolet guy all his life. From his days at Dale Earnhardt Inc. to his legendary run at Hendrick Motorsports, Chevy has been by his side. Even his Xfinity Series team runs Chevrolets with backing from Rick Hendrick’s team. However, when asked by NASCAR journalist Toby Christie about a young driver would could excel in top-tier equipment, Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn’t think twice before naming Parker Retzlaff! Junior said, “Parker [Retzlaff], I’ve raced around him, and I like his style. I like how he carries himself as a person, his demeanor, and I think he has real talent. I’m not sure how much, I can’t be sure to know whether he’s a [future] Cup champion guy, yet, but I think he’s absolutely — if you put him in a JR Motorsports car or a [Joe] Gibbs [Racing] car, he’s going to win. I know that. And how far that takes him is up to him.” 

Retzlaff was in deep honor of this admiration from an icon of the sport. “This truly means a lot, especially coming from @DaleJr. This sport isn’t easy. I will forever be grateful for the opportunities teams & sponsors have given me to get me to where I am today. Thank you for seeing my efforts, we have a lot to prove this year!” Public praise didn’t come across as career defining for him after years of trolling in the wake of controversy instead of capability.

This truly means a lot, especially coming from @DaleJr. This sport isn’t easy. I will forever be grateful for the opportunities teams & sponsors have given me to get me to where I am today. Thank you for seeing my efforts, we have a lot to prove this year! @VisualPak |… https://t.co/KUs7TWut1O

— Parker Retzlaff (@Parker79p) April 21, 2025

Dale Jr. further added in that conversation with Toby Christie, “Parker Retzlaff is one, I think that he’s pretty much the kind of driver that… he gets in a car and it runs better than you expect. And you know that’s kind of one of the things, that’s the first glaring sort of [thing that makes you ask], hey, what’s going on here?.. You start asking questions about the car, you know, performing a little better than it usually does, and you have to look at the driver as well.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr.‘s endorsement of Retzlaff took place before the 21-year-old obtained a second-place finish in last weekend’s NASCAR Xfinity Series North Carolina Education Lottery 250 at Rockingham Speedway. This result was Retzlaff’s best finish yet in his NASCAR National Series career, as well as being the highest ever for Alpha Prime Racing! His performances reflect Junior’s sentiments of outperforming others in a car, which arguably shouldn’t run that well. 

The praise comes from a man who has molded budding stars and continues to be an outspoken denizen of the garage. Dale Jr. will always say it as it is, be it Chevy, Toyota, or whoever you drive for. If you impress Dale Earnhardt Jr., you’re doing something right.

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