One NASCAR team is taking the sport by storm in just its second season of competition. From wildly unique paint schemes to shocking on-track performances, the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series has a new player as The Chase approaches.
Viking Motorsports is the “little team that could” is clicking on all cylinders, with two drivers competing in or around the top 10 week-in and week-out. Owned by Don Sackett, a longtime NASCAR sponsor via his company SciAps, he made the unique decision to not only keep sponsoring Ryan Sieg at RSS Racing, but to form his own operation in 2025.
Now, as The Chase is set to begin after this weekend’s Winn-Dixie 250 at Daytona, Sackett’s Viking Motorsports is set to have a driver in the postseason, with another having a chance to win the race.
Parker Retzlaff has stunned the field in 2026, sitting ninth in the standings heading into the regular-season finale. He sits ahead of drivers from powerhouse teams, such as Haas Factory Team and Joe Gibbs Racing.
“We have talent in the shop and talent on the team,” Sackett said. “It’s been very rewarding.”
Retzlaff, a driver who is now considered to be one of the hottest prospects in the sport, has four top fives and top 10s this year after bouncing around between mid-pack teams for the last four years.
“This is the first chance I’ve gotten in actual good equipment and be in the top five and top 10 every week,” Retzlaff said. “When The Chase starts, our goal will be the same that it’s been all year, and that’s maximizing our day.”
For Retzlaff’s teammate Anthony Alfredo, Viking Motorsports formed its second team just weeks before the season opener at Daytona. Slowly but surely, he, too, has found pace, even contending for the win at San Diego before a crash took him out of contention.
“It’s really been an exciting experience for me to be part of a new culture and a growing program that has a really clear vision as far as where we want to be,” Alfredo said. “We knew there would be growing pains, and we kept our heads down and pushed through.”
Why Did Sackett Create Viking Motorsports?
As Sackett put it, sponsoring Sieg has been so successful and meaningful for at least the last four years that it just made sense to buy a team.
“When I sold SciAps in 2024, it made it possible financially to consider owning a team,” he said. “I thought it would be even more interesting to run a team. We had some new ideas and we’ve always been distruptive with our tech companies.”
After a respectable first season, which began with Matt DiBenedetto as the team’s sole driver, an opportunity arose for Viking Motorsports to step up in a big way. Kaulig Racing was departing the O’Reilly Series to focus on its RAM program in the Craftsman Truck Series, leaving an opening for someone to become aligned with Richard Childress Racing.
Sackett purchased a chunk of Kaulig’s O’Reilly Series assets, and the team for growth was now.
“To be three feels like the right number,” Sackett said of a future expansion. “We decided if we didn’t do it then, that alliance may not be available in two or three years. It was a bit of a stretch, but we just went for it. We went all-in with the alliance with RCR, and that has been a big factor.”
And to expand to two cars, which took place late in the offseason, was also quite the stretch.
“We wouldn’t have expanded to a second car for just anybody,” Sackett said. “We struggled getting him a good team and a good car since it was such a late expansion. His team put a lot of long hours in and didn’t get discouraged.”
With core partners backing Retzlaff and Alfredo, including Funaway and Dude Wipes, the team is poised to continue to grow.
What Viking Motorsports’ Drivers Think
Retzlaff said one of the most important things he’s seen is that Sackett didn’t make false promises to him. Everything he was told by the team owner has been true.
“A top-10 finish for us in points in year two of this team with all of these guys would be a good start,” Retzlaff said. “This is the best opportunity I’ve ever had, and that’s shown.”
Alfredo also admitted this is his best opportunity in the O’Reilly Series after bouncing from team-to-team over the last six years.
“We’re headed in the right direction,” Alfredo said.
This team is exactly what Alfredo has been searching for over the past several years. Every time he thought he found what could be a long-term home, he was left looking for another ride. Fortunately, he is a Hendrick Motorsports simulator driver and Dude Wipes’ support has continued to help him land at Viking Motorsports.
“Not only was it an opportunity to be more competitive, but they have a clear vision that we’re investing in the program with an alliance with RCR,” Alfredo said. “We’re getting closer to stealing a win and that feels really good for a second-year team.”
As The Chase begins, keep an eye on Retzlaff to play spoiler and potentially compete for a spot in the top five in the standings, while Alfredo’s No. 96 group builds momentum for 2027.
Viking Motorsports Stuns NASCAR World In Second O’Reilly Series Season