Despite the tension at Chevrolet, it is important to note that Busch, who was leading the race, had a choice of lanes and chose the inside lane. Burton took the outside line and Christopher Bell followed Busch in the inside lane. Retzlaff, looking to maximize his own chances of winning, chose to line up behind Burton in the outside lane.

Even after Retzlaff’s attack on Burton on the final lap, Busch had the opportunity to counter the attack but decided not to. After the race, Busch mentioned that his decision not to block Burton’s run was due to concerns about Burton’s ability to create a clean slipstream. Busch stayed on the bottom line and Burton shot past him.

Retzlaff stressed that he wasn’t specifically trying to push Burton to win. Rather, he felt he had a chance to win when he supported Burton on the backstretch. “I saw an opportunity and took it. Being new at this level and wanting to prove myself, I felt like this was my only chance,” said Retzlaff. “It wasn’t my intention to hurt Kyle or anyone at Chevrolet; I just wanted to take advantage of an opportunity for myself and my supporters.”

The Daytona events were meant to be a springboard for Retzlaff’s Cup Series career, but due to the situation, he has no immediate plans for the Cup Series. He stresses that his goal was never to undermine Chevrolet, but to achieve the best possible performance for himself, Beard Motorsports and FUNKAWAY.

“I have no further plans for the Cup Series at the moment. I want to make it clear that I did not mean any harm to anyone. This was only my second Cup race and I wanted to make the most of it,” said Retzlaff. “It was a learning experience and my goal was to get involved in the scene.”

The aftermath of Daytona underscores the enormous pressure surrounding the NASCAR Cup Series.

Moving forward, Retzlaff will compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway this Saturday. Currently sitting 18th in the championship standings with two top-five and four top-10 finishes through the first 22 races, Retzlaff will be looking to offset some of the recent criticism with a strong performance at Darlington. Although he previously finished 13th at this race, the young driver is ready to make an impression and showcase his skills once again.

Photo credit: Craig White, TobyChristie.com