NASCAR Notes: Busch Says Retzlaff Doesn’t Owe Him an Apology

In the week since Chevrolet driver Parker Retzlaff pushed Ford driver Harrison Burton to victory at Daytona instead of assisting Chevrolet driver Kyle Busch, the 21-year-old driver has faced a great deal of criticism. However, Busch says Retzlaff doesn’t owe him an apology.

“We have our Chevrolet team meetings, our key meetings, key partner meetings before the race, and he’s not in one of those,” Busch explained. “So, if you’re not in one of those, then you should not be relied upon as a key partner, to need to push, and know the game that needs to be played.”

Retzlaff was driving for Beard Motorsports, which only enters the Daytona and Talladega races. The team has a technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing, which fields cars for Busch. Retzlaff was in the high line and then the middle lane behind Burton, while Christopher Bell’s Toyota was behind Busch. Retzlaff shoved Burton ahead of Busch on the final lap, but there was no way Retzlaff could get behind Busch to push him.

Busch said he didn’t know the behind-the-scenes business relationships.

“When I owned a truck series team, we had other teams that we helped and we supported and we gave parts and pieces and resources and different things to,” Busch said. “I don’t know how all that stems for his relationship with Beard behind the scenes. He doesn’t owe me nothing.”

In reflecting on the final lap at Daytona, Busch said he did everything he could to win the Coke Zero Sugar 400.

“The two guys behind me (Bell and John Hunter Nemechek) seemed to be a bit out of control,” Busch said. “When you go back and look at SMT data, they were dilly dallying around off of turn two, getting squirrely and not holding their steering wheel straight, not holding their gas pedal down, and they were slow.

“The guy that was on the outside with the run with Harrison (Burton) and Parker (Kligerman), they were wide open, steering wheel straight, and they drove right by us. So, I guess I was to blame for not pulling up in front of the 21 (Burton) off of (turn) two, said Busch.

“But the runs were equal when I was watching and re-watching, when I was watching in my mirror and remembering it as it happened, the 20 (Bell) was getting to me as fast as the 21 was getting to me and when the 20 was bumping me, that’s when the momentum of the outside with the 21 and the 62 (Retzlaff) took off. If I would have turned to get in front of that, I would have wrecked.

“Unless I come off of turn two and just go to the middle and block the 21’s lane, then who’s to say that we don’t get squirrelly and the 20 goes right by us on the inside. Monday morning quarterbacking is the worst thing you can do.”

Kaulig Not Handling Xfinity Teams for RCR

Kaulig Racing President Chris Rice says rumors that the team’s arrangement with Richard Childress Racing would change in 2025 with RCR overseeing both operations’ Cup entries while Kaulig would devote its resources to both companies Xfinity Series entries are untrue.

Kaulig Racing has an alliance with RCR and is headquartered on the RCR campus in Welcome, North Carolina.

“We want to become one team when we leave Welcome, N.C.,” Rice said. “When the cars leave Welcome, we’re closer together. We’re locked arms like a marriage would be.

“But they are going to take care of their Xfinity cars and their Cup cars and we’re going to do the same with our Cup and Xfinity.”

Kaulig Racing announced Saturday at Darlington Raceway that NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship contender Christian Eckes will join the team next year, competing fulltime in the Xfinity Series. The Eckes announcement came one week after Kaulig said Daniel Dye would drive the No. 10 Xfinity car next year.

Josh Williams will return to the No. 11 Xfinity Chevrolet. A.J. Allmendinger is moving to the Cup Series full-time next year.

Keselowski Relinquishes Sole Ownership of KAM

Before Brad Keselowski became a NASCAR Cup Series team co-owner, he started Keselowski Advanced Manufacturing in Statesville, N.C, in the building that once housed his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team.

Now, he’s relinquishing sole ownership of the company he calls his “baby” and merging it with ADDMAN, an advanced manufacturing service provider in Fort Myers, Florida. Keselowski will remain with the company as a consultant and on the board of directors.

“It was a really big move for me. It’s one I’m really proud of,” Keselowski said in reference to his founding of KAM in 2018.

“I’ll still have some significant involvement, but it does clearly allow some different freedom for me on the motorsports side. I’m lucky to have good people around me that allow me to balance all those things. I don’t see it being a dramatic difference with respect to time. Maybe a small difference here and there, but probably just a little more freedom.”

Keselowski, co-owner of RFK Racing, said the merger provided more stability for KAM’s employees and its customers, which included the aerospace, defense, energy, and automotive industries.

“I used to say I was one bus crash away from a bunch of people losing their jobs and a bunch of programs going under,” Keselowski said. “It’s nice to be able to remove that.”

Keselowski announced the merger on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday before the Labor Day race weekend at Darlington. He called his journey with his company “one of the most fulfilling experiences of my career, from its inception to where we stand today.”

“KAM is my baby,” Keselowski said. “I’ve been here since day one. Started it. We have a lot of day one employees still here. I’m really proud of how we’ve grown from knowing nothing about 3D metal printing … to being an industry leader and a trusted source for some of the biggest names in aerospace, defense and beyond.

“When I get to occasionally hold in my hands the parts that come out of this building, sometimes I’m left in amazement and wonder of what’s to come.”

Keselowski admitted that when he founded KAM he hoped that one day he would no longer be a part of it, that it would outgrow him.

“We’re ready to leave our awkward teenage phase and make our way into college,” Keselowski said on X.