Parker Kligerman bids Phoenix farewell to full-time racing
AVONDALE, Ariz. — Parker Kligerman bid a Phoenix farewell to full-time NASCAR racing with a 14th-place finish that went fairly well, all things considered.
Kligerman announced in September that he wouldn’t pursue any full-time opportunities in the Xfinity Series. The final weekend was tumultuous, crashing in practice and needing to go to a backup car.
Once raceday came, everything started to settle in.
“Pre-race was a lot and the intros. My girlfriend, best friends in the whole world who came out here. They haven’t made it to a ton of races but they surprised me and that got me emotional. I was wearing sunglasses for a reason. It was quite dark out. The crew guys looked at me and they could tell and I told them it’s alright, I’ll get back,” he said. “Aric Almirola gave me the best advice to get in the car, take it in and enjoy and that’s what I did.”
Kligerman took his turn out front for two laps but that hurt him more than anything. He fell a lap down on lap 156, outside of the top-15. Still, he held on and caught some late-race cautions that elevated him through the chaos to 14th.
“The last run, we went like hell and almost got there but we played bumper tag and got 14th. I mean, I’m happy but it’s a euphemism for two years together, having some crazy s-it happen on Friday or Saturday, having to start in the back, pass all the cars,” he said.
Kligerman is done with full-time racing but he won’t be done with racing altogether.
“Some road courses, maybe, Trucks. I feel 90% sure about this Rolex [24 at Daytona] deal coming together so that’ll be cool to run the Rolex 24. So I’d like to do that, just pick and choose and then go build the rest of my life outside of this,” he said.
Kligerman also offered words of wisdom to prospective drivers.
“It’s been an honor. I’m more than grateful to get this chance. Whoever is out there and is looking to try and do this, just know it’s gonna be hard, know it’s going to take more than you ever had. It’s not gonna make sense, it’s not gonna make financial sense. But by God, you should and you should try and learn from this and try and get here because it’s worth it.”
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com