Parker Retzlaff wins Xfinity Series pole award at Martinsville Speedway

Are we going to see a playoff spoiler the week before the Championship 4 at Phoenix? Parker Retzlaff is going to try from the pole. This is the second pole of the NASCAR season for Retzlaff and his No. 31 team.

This season has not gone how Parker Retzlaff pictured it. He has 10 DNFs on the year, which is a huge reason why he did not make the playoffs this season. However, the young driver has shown flashes.

Starting P2 next to Retzlaff is fellow non-playoff driver Anthony Alfredo. These two are going to try and make the playoff driver earn their spots in the championship race next weekend.

He's got the speed to beat! @Parker79p wins the pole for tomorrow's race at @MartinsvilleSwy! pic.twitter.com/w1m1bL8qJE

— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) November 1, 2024

Jordan Anderson Racing might not be showing it right now, but that is an organization on the rise. With his two pole awards this season, Retzlaff has the only two in the team’s history.

Let’s not forget that Jeb Burton won a race for JAR in 2023 at Talladega. This group has had a lot of good things going for them, but it could be better.

With how young Retlzaff is, I think Anderson has a solid driver he can work with for the foreseeable future. Whether or not he makes enough noise to impress bigger teams and purses, remains to be seen.

Behind the duo of Retzlaff and Alfredo are all eight playoff drivers plus Aric Almirola who is racing for an owners championship.

Chandler Smith, Jesse Love, Justin Allgaier, Austin Hill, Sammy Smith, Sheldon reed, Aric Almirola, Cole Custer, AJ Allmendinger, and Sam Mayer round out the top-12 in the field. Creed almost won this race a year ago but came up short to Allgaier.

Parker Retzlaff looking to upset playoff drivers

Right now, both Austin Hill and AJ Allmendinger are locked into the race at Phoenix. That means there are six drivers contending for only two spots in the Championship 4. The math isn’t mathing for four of our competitors.

Martinsville is a slugfest, especially in the Xfinity Series. There will be a lot of jarring for position. You will see drivers take risks they normally would not take. For Chandler Smith, Love, Mayer, and Sammy Smith – a win is the only way they get to Phoenix.

Justin Allgaier and Cole Custer are +35 and +28 to the line, respectively. So, they aren’t going to have to worry about a whole lot unless they have early issues that puts them in the back of the field or a driver below the cutline wins the race.

Parker Retzlaff is on pole, but I’m not sure he can win this race tomorrow. He will have a lot of hungry and talented playoff drivers behind him giving him all kinds of trouble. Last time he was on pole, Retzlaff finished a somewhat disappointing P16 at Richmond. Will he do better than that performance?