Getty Parker Kligerman waves to fans at Nashville Superspeedway.
The NASCAR weekend on the streets of Chicago will be a historic event for the industry. For Parker Kligerman, however, it will be the moment he fulfills a childhood dream.
“I have wanted to race on a street course since I was nine, so I could not be more excited about this opportunity,” Kligerman said in a pre-race release from Big Machine Racing.
“We have been putting in great effort to be as prepared as possible for something so new for all of us. I can’t wait for Saturday!”
Kligerman has competed in a variety of events throughout his racing career. In NASCAR alone, he has made 215 combined starts across the three national series while celebrating wins at Talladega Superspeedway and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Kligerman also won 10 of the 25 ARCA Menards Series races in which he competed.
Now, the Connecticut native will take on an entirely new event. He will compete in the Xfinity Series race on the streets of Chicago, and he will try to deliver a standout performance for Big Machine Racine. He will have this opportunity on Saturday, July 1, at 5 p.m. ET (USA Network).
Kligerman Has Big Plans for the Race Weekend
GettyParker Kligerman prepares for a race at Portland International Raceway.
The ability to finally compete on a street course is only one reason why Kligerman expressed excitement about the upcoming Xfinity Series race in Chicago. He also pointed to the weekend as an opportunity to break through for Big Machine Racing.
Kligerman is back full-time in the Xfinity Series for the first time since 2013, and he has used the opportunity to put himself in playoff contention. He hasn’t won a race, currently sits on the cut line with 371 points. Though Talladega winner Jeb Burton is just below him in points. If the playoffs began this week, Kligerman would miss the cut.
“I also think this is a massive opportunity for our Big Machine Vodka Spiked Light Coolers team because it is a road course, which we have been so fast on,” Kligerman said. “Plus it being a street course that, in the sim, seems to fit my driving style.”
Kligerman has five top-10 finishes and three top-fives in the first 15 races, headlined by a third-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway. He also finished fourth at Atlanta Motor Speedway and fifth at Sonoma Raceway.
Kligerman Finished 14th at PIR After a Close Brush With Victory Lane
Kligerman was in a position to fight for the win at Portland International Raceway, which would have put him in the playoffs. He chased down Justin Allgaier and Sheldon Creed on the final restart, but he was not able to make Turn 1 after taking the field three-wide.
The No. 48 Big Machine Racing Chevrolet made contact with the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, which pushed it into the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. Allgaier and Creed both missed the turn and had to maneuver around signs as a penalty. Meanwhile, Cole Custer passed them all and went on to win the race.
Kligerman will now take on the Chicago Sreet Race while driving a car capable of contending for the win. His fifth-place finish at Sonoma is an example, as is Kaz Grala’s fifth-place finish at Watkins Glen International in 2022.
Whether Kligerman achieves his goal of winning the historic race remains unknown. What is clear is that he will embrace the opportunity to achieve this longtime racing goal.