by Reid Scearce
Viking Motorsports’ rapid rise in NASCAR is exciting to watch as they work hard to earn a NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Chase spot.
In an industry where middle-of-the-pack NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series teams often struggle to overcome the gap separating them from championship-contending organizations, Viking Motorsports seemingly skipped the many years it frequently takes organizations to reach the upper echelon in 2026. However, it’s difficult to attribute Viking Motorsports’ rapid performance improvement purely to a confluence of talent and luck.
Viking Motorsports’ Rapid Rise
Viking Motorsports made their NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut at Richmond Raceway in 2024 as an RSS Racing affiliate team before transitioning to an independent full-time operation in 2025. Matt DiBenedetto was the full-time driver of the No. 99 Ford Mustang, earning multiple 11th-place finishes before being replaced by Connor Mosack for the final three races of the season. The No. 99 car finished 25th in the final owner point standings.
At the core of Viking’s improvement lies the team’s offseason activity before the 2026 season. Owner Don Sackett and team management joined forces with RCR’s customer alliance program, forming a deep technical partnership. The deal also coincided with the team’s expansion to two cars. Parker Retzlaff was set to drive the No. 99, while Anthony Alfredo would take the wheel of the No. 96 full-time. Viking Motorsports went from a fully independently run operation to one that had direct access to RCR’s engineering infrastructure, simulation data, and ECR engine package. With three races remaining in the regular season, the results on track indicate that the alliance has been immensely beneficial. Retzlaff and Alfredo enter this week’s race at Indianapolis with a combined six top-five finishes, 15 top-ten finishes, and 28 top-20 finishes.
Parker Retzlaff
Parker Retzlaff comfortably sits ninth in the point standings, all but securing his spot in The Chase. Retzlaff’s steady racecraft, ability to maximize stage points, and knack for minimizing mistakes have helped elevate the raw speed of the No. 99 team into a legitimate postseason threat.
When asked about his team’s support and making The Chase, Retzlaff told us Friday morning, “The team is extremely focused on building the fastest cars we can. A lot of hard work and dedication goes in week in and week out. We are looking forward to seeing how these next three weeks play out for us. I am immensely grateful for this opportunity and look forward to seeing what we can continue to accomplish as a team.”
Anthony Alfredo
Reunited with crew chief Josh Graham, Anthony Alfredo has shown pace comparable to his teammate, if not occasionally better than Retzlaff. However, his 16th-place points position belies the No. 96 team’s performance. 116 points below the Chase cut line, Alfredo needs a miracle to make the postseason. Despite having several competitive runs, several wrecks caused by being at the wrong place at the wrong time, including one late at Naval Base Coronado that relegated him from inside the top five to a DNF and a 35th-place finish, have taken him out of contention for a top-12 points spot. Alfredo’s season serves as a case study in how frequent bad luck can derail the season of an otherwise genuinely fast car.
The Organization
Viking Motorsports will hope to maintain their speed as the postseason inches closer. While the progress from one year to the next has been staggering, demonstrating that the young organization has the ability to handle the burden of a two-car program during important stretches of the season and consistently finish where they run will be the next step in proving they belong among the series’ top teams.
