Full-time television analyst and part-time NASCAR driver Parker Kligerman won the Truck Series season opener and quickly placed the checkered flag by the Daytona International Speedway logo.
Kligerman had celebrated all three of his previous truck victories in this way, including his first one at Talladega in 2012. So, it seemed fitting on Friday night for what Kligerman described as “the biggest win of my entire life” during an excited post-race celebration.
However, the celebration was short-lived: NASCAR disqualified Kligerman when his truck was found to be too low during a post-race inspection. Corey Heim was declared the new winner, and the change in the standings gave actor Frankie Muniz his first top-10 finish in his NASCAR career. Muniz is running the full Truck Series schedule this year as he balances a second career as a motorsports driver.
Kligerman, who retired from full-time racing at the end of last season and will have a larger role as a television analyst this year, said on Saturday that he would appeal the disqualification while preparing to cover the Xfinity Series race for The CW network.
“Biggest win of my life. Thank y’all for the wonderful messages. Over 700 texts,” he posted on social media. “I will not be commenting any further until we are able to present what I believe is a very, very valid case.”
“Until then, I’m fully focused on my job (as Xfinity analyst) because the drivers and teams deserve the full focus on the massive stage ahead of them,” he added.
Parker Kligerman celebrates after the winKligerman crossed the finish line first on Friday night, which would have been his fourth career Truck Series victory and his first win since Mid-Ohio in 2022.
His post-race celebration was a hit, and he energized the crowd by thanking the fans in the grandstands, saying, “All of you fans here at Daytona, thank you so much! God, I love this place. I love racing. I love winning.”
Kligerman stepped away from full-time racing at the end of last year and is now focusing on a growing broadcasting career. He had the support of Scott Borchetta, founder of Big Machine Label Group, throughout his career and was a fan favorite, despite never winning in 152 races in NASCAR’s top Cup and Xfinity Series.
Though he had a respectable career, Kligerman, now 34, decided to shift his future toward broadcasting. The CW has the full Xfinity Series schedule, and called Kligerman “one of the youngest correspondents to ever serve as a pit reporter for a NASCAR Cup race.”
The disqualification added to Kligerman’s racing disappointments. He almost won the Xfinity Series race last fall at The Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but NASCAR threw a late caution flag just seconds before he crossed the white flag, which would have made the race official. He ended up losing in overtime, and a win would have advanced him to the Xfinity Series playoffs and been his first victory in that series.
