Parker Kligerman has reflected on his “heart-wrenching” victory loss at the Charlotte Roval.
A strong start from Kligerman put him in a good position to secure his first Xfinity victory, leading the charge against tough contenders like Shane van Gisbergen and Sam Mayer.
Speaking to the media after the race, he commented, as quoted by Motorsport.com:
“I’ve done this interview you’re doing, and it’s always tough on that side.
“It’s really tough on this (driver’s) side. I might have teared up when I thought we got it there at the white flag. Caution comes out, had to refocus.”
The fateful incident unfolded when Leland Honeyman’s No. 42 car crashed into a tire barrier just a few laps from the finish. NASCAR officials delayed issuing the caution flag, allowing the race to continue under the white flag, leading to confusion in the pits.
Kligerman, mistakenly believing he had clinched victory, had to refocus when the caution was announced before the white flag—necessitating an overtime restart. During the overtime restart, Kligerman found himself unable to maintain his lead. He lost his lead in Turn 7, finishing sixth, an unexpected and unfortunate turn for the driver who had hoped to extend his playoff run.
“I want to be at this level, I got to nail this restart.
“We did that. I thought I cut off Turn 7 enough but he somehow got below me and it was on from there. I got damage. It was full contact. Sam didn’t do anything egregious.
“It was hard racing, but as close as you can be to the line. I said I wanted to cry, but I’m not gonna cry. I really love this game and I just really, really wanted that. It would have meant the world but it meant the world to be in that position.
“They called this strategy. I didn’t agree with it. I wanted to go for points, but they were right. It put us in the position to go and get that. God, I was driving my heart out for that last run.
“I needed five more feet or something. If it went green to the end, we had it. I don’t know how to process this. It’s gonna take a while. Just really thankful to have the opportunity … I love this game. I just want to get a trophy.”
Kligerman also commented whilst watching back the footage of how close he was:
“Oh man,” he said. “Oh my gosh. You’re kidding me. What? Ugh. I don’t know. I’ve seen enough from the TV side what that — the heart-wrench and gutted-ness these people go through when you’re in that moment. It’s part of the sport.
“It’s why people buy tickets. It’s why they watch on The CW. I’m thankful to be in the position to have had the opportunity in my life. I love this so much. I just really wanted to get to the next round. But it was not to be. We’ll go try and get a checkered flag in one of these next ones.”
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