Sports Digest

Retzlaff takes 35th in Cup Series debut

Rhinelander native Parker Retzlaff finished 35th Sunday in his NASCAR Cup Series debut at Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Va. 

Piloting the No. 66 Ford for MBM Motorsports, Retzlaff was the last of the 35 drivers running at the finish, five laps behind the leaders. Retzlaff qualified 37th for the part-time operation that has run only seven of the 23 races so far on the Cup Series schedule. 

Austin Dillon, driving Richard Childress Racing’s famed No. 3 Chevrolet, won the race in an overtime finish after initiating contact with both Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin on the final lap while battling for the win.

Retzlaff is scheduled to make his second start in NASCAR’s top series Saturday, Aug. 24 at Daytona International Speedway, driving the No. 62 Chevrolet for Beard Motorsports. It was announced last week that FunkAway, Retzlaff’s primary sponsor in the second-tier Xfinity Series, would back the one-off effort. 

Following a three-week break during the Olympics, Retzlaff will climb back into his No. 31 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this coming Saturday at Michigan International Speedway. He currently sits 17th in the Xfinity Series standings.