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NASCAR XFINITY Series

Parker Kligerman: “I Really Wanted This. I Love This Game.”

Parker Kligerman

Parker Kligerman was so close to winning Saturday’s Drive for the Cure 250 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL before a caution was signaled as he approached the stripe. (Photo: Jennie Mae Lingle | The Podium Finish)

CONCORD, N.C. — Parker Kligerman experienced both sides of the coin in terms of Dominic Toretto’s famous quote from The Fast and the Furious during Saturday’s Drive for the Cure 250 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL.

On one hand, Kligerman was close to finally winning his first NASCAR XFINITY Series race in his 118th start. A runner up thrice over in his decade long career, the native of Westport, Connecticut, saw the white flag waving as he approached the stripe.

Just as Kligerman approached the stripe, the caution flag waved due to Leland Honeyman’s accident into a Turn 3 tire barrier. The moment seemed to favor Kligerman until NASCAR’s data review revealed he had not crossed the line before the caution lights illuminated.

“I thought we had won, but having done this enough on TV, I was like, ‘Hey, check that it’s official.’ And then I saw on the big screen Patrick celebrating. Then I started tearing up,” Kligerman recalled. “And then they were like, ‘Oh no, we didn’t. We got to refocus.’ And I was like, ‘OK, all right, I can do that. I’m a professional.’

“Then, I just I got the good restart. I fought them off and I did everything I could, and then just [Turn] 7, I didn’t do a good job.”

Leading into the final laps of the race, Kligerman charged his way to the lead on Lap 59 as he passed Shane van Gisbergen. His only threat was Sam Mayer, the defending race winner and primary challenger for a coveted Round of 8 spot.

Parker Kligerman

Parker Kligerman was approaching the stripe when the caution lights were on in Saturday’s Drive for the Cure 250 at the Charlotte ROVAL. (Photo: Wayne Riegle | The Podium Finish)

Despite the initial heartbreak, Kligerman kept his composure, restarting alongside Sam Mayer, the defending race winner and his main challenger. Kligerman executed a near-flawless race, showing strength in the final laps, especially through Turns 6 and 7, though Mayer had the advantage elsewhere on the track.

“You just got to buckle, refocus. And we did that,” Kligerman said. “I just watched the replay and I guess [Mayer] went wide or I could have opened up my entry more and not let him cut under me. But man, the last lead up to that were some of the best I’ve ever driven in my entire career. And I just knew, I was like, I had to be perfect.

“I just… I love this game. I really wanted it. I really, really, really wanted this.”

Parker Kligerman

Parker Kligerman reflected on the possibilities after coming up short in Saturday’s Drive for the Cure 250 at the Charlotte ROVAL. (Photo: Jennie Mae Lingle | The Podium FInish)

Kligerman reflected deeply on his career and the significance of this race, knowing that his full-time racing days are nearing an end. Holding back tears, he admitted the weight of the moment.

“This hurts. I said during the cool down lap, ‘I wanted to cry, but I won’t,’ and it’s gotten close a couple times as I think about it,” Kligerman reflected. “I’ve really loved doing this, and I’ve been so grateful to have the opportunity to be here and to be at this level and to make a career doing this. And I just love the intensity and the pressure and I really, really wanted that. I just felt like that was a poetic.

“If I could just do one thing, it would have been winning this damn race in that fashion, holding off some of the best in the world in SVG and AJ. Sam Mayer is a ROVAL master now. I thought I was driving at the highest level I’ve ever driven and I didn’t get it done.”

Rob Tiongson is a sports writer and editor originally from the Boston area and resides in the Austin, Texas, area. Tiongson has covered motorsports series like NASCAR and INDYCAR since 2008 and NHRA since 2013. Most recently, Tiongson is covering professional basketball, mainly the WNBA, and women's college basketball. While writing and editing for The Podium Finish, Tiongson currently seeks for a long-term sportswriting and sports content creating career. Tiongson enjoys editing and writing articles and features, as well as photography. Moreover, he enjoys time with his family and friends, traveling, cooking, working out and being a fun uncle or "funcle" to his nephew, niece and cat. Tiongson is an alum of Southern New Hampshire University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and St. Bonaventure University's renowned Jandoli School of Communication with a Master of Arts in Digital Journalism.

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