Parker Kligerman suits up on a busy Friday afternoon practice session for the National Debt Relief 250 at Martinsville. (Photo: Phil Cavali | The Podium Finish)
RIDGEWAY, Va. — The end may be near for Parker Kligerman as his full-time racing career faces the final curtain. With only two races left for the 34-year-old native of Westport, Connecticut, his focus is on closing out this chapter of his life by scoring his first career NASCAR XFINITY Series win.
Heading into Saturday evening’s National Debt Relief 250 at Martinsville Speedway (4 p.m. ET on CW, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio 90), the driver of the No. 48 Big Machine Spiked Coolers Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has reeled off five consecutive finishes of 12th or better, including a fifth at Las Vegas.
Before taking on the 0.526 paperclip shaped short track, Kligerman expressed optimistic thoughts about his chances at a strong result.
“We’ve been on a great roll,” Kligerman said in a team press release. “We have one of the best average finishes in the series. Let’s keep it going! Martinsville is probably one of my toughest tracks, but I always like going there. I love the atmosphere and the vibes. Hopefully, we can continue to end this season on a strong note.”
In three career starts, Kligerman’s best finish is 10th in last year’s fall race. Tallying an average finish of 13.0, it is the ideal track for an experienced veteran racer to lead his Big Machine Racing crew in a tussle that will test drivers, pit crews and equipment.
On Friday afternoon, Kligerman logged the 24th fastest overall time and 19th fastest time in a 10-lap consecutive average run in the sole practice round. He backed up those efforts by qualifying 18th in the field of 38.
Speed and horsepower may matter at most tracks but handling, patience and brakes are still indelible with a successful effort at Martinsville. Those are some of the intangibles Kligerman brought to the table for the fledgling organization since late 2022.
Parker Kligerman takes to the 0.526-mile Martinsville Speedway ahead of Saturday evening’s National Debt Relief 250. (Photo: Phil Cavali | The Podium Finish)
“It’s been massive. When I came here, we had a lot of work to do as this young race team,” he observed. “We all went to put our heads down and went to work and went through some tough times and some good times. But at the end of the day, I feel like this race team is in the best position it’s ever been in especially since I got here and it’s in a better place than when I got here.
“And a lot of that was processes and people and just building a notebook and doing all the things you have to do behind the scenes to go out there and compete against stalwarts like Joe Gibbs Racing and Stewart-Haas [Racing] and JR Motorsports and so on and so forth. And we’ve gotten them there.”
The team had rotating drivers in 2022 before settling on Kligerman after his sixth place finish at Talladega Superspeedway. Since then, he has taken the determined group toward the front of the field, including three runner-up results and a trio of third place finishes.
All that remains is that elusive victory for Kligerman. There have been so many close calls including the notable outcome at the Charlotte ROVAL when he was close to crossing the stripe before the caution lights lit.
For the young racer, Kligerman hopes he leaves a winning footprint behind for his team before Nick Sanchez settles into the ride next year.
“We have done everything but win a trophy,” he said. “We’ve gotten in the Playoffs twice. We’ve gotten to the owner points Playoffs for the first time this year. We’ve had great finishes. We’ve done everything but win that trophy. And that’s why [the Charlotte ROVAL] weekend would have meant a lot. But I feel like for Scott and what he asked me to do when I came here, I’ve lived up to my end of the bargain.
“Hopefully, when I look at this race team in the future, it’s going on to bigger and better things, and we built that base. I’m allowed to do that. And nothing would make me happier than seeing them win tons of races for Scott [and] everyone involved. I’ll always feel like I had a hand in getting this race team to where it is now and having the chance to compete at the front and be a part of the championship fight and become a championship caliber race team, which I think it is.”
Ambition is one thing Kligerman does not lack whether during his karting days in Connecticut as a 13-year-old or his inspirational efforts with Big Machine Racing. Regardless of how he fares in these final two races, he is at peace with hanging up his helmet and firesuit when he clambers out of his No. 48 car for the final time on Nov. 9 at Phoenix Raceway.
Parker Kligerman hopes he has built the blueprint for long-term success with the No. 48 Big Machine Racing team. (Photo: Joshua White | The Podium Finish)
“It’s taken an immense effort, sacrifice all those things that everyone talks about to do this and to be at this level,” Kligerman said. “And I’ll bring that to the next couple of weeks. My preparation and everything I’ve done just in this week has been exactly the same that I’ve done for 15 years so well with some adjustments as I’ve gotten smarter, hopefully and better at that. Knowing it’s coming to an end is obviously on your mind, but it’s not something I dwell on or want to change how we do this.
“I want to make sure that we go out in the best way possible. We have a chance to finish fifth in points. We’ve still got a chance to go get a trophy here in the next couple of weeks. And that’s my goals and I’m going to give everything I’ve got to do that. You know how long this journey has been to me. I’m past that sort of thought process and everything because I made that decision this summer. And now it’s just about finishing strong and doing the best I can with our team.”
Besides tallying a win and a coveted grandfather clock, Kligerman wants to finish out this season and his career on a high note not only for himself, but for the diligent individuals in Welcome, North Carolina.
“Our guys have worked on this to hopefully reward them with a win,” he said. “And if we’re able to do that, it would be really, really special and especially just to improve on where we finished in points last year.
“We finished 10th in points last year. If we could get to the fifth, that would be incredible, [it’d] be a huge achievement for Big Machine Racing, all these guys on this race team, and we can all hold our heads high that we put in a hell of an effort in 2024.”
