Imagine yourself, sitting in the car that is about to make your dream come true. Imagine being in what NASCAR is calling the best class of rookies we have ever had. Imagine being picked by famous drivers and fans as “The Dark Horse” for the season. Imagine pulling your belts tight and then hearing the most famous words in NASCAR history. Imagine being on the cusp of everything you have dreamed of. Imagine doing all that and then waking up one day and it is over before you have a chance to really start it.
All of these things happened to Parker Kligerman this year and though many would be frustrated and even bitter, he isn’t. Kligerman considers it a chance to learn and to grow and is determined that it will not bring him down. This is his story.
Kligerman grew up in Connecticut, a place you normally wouldn’t associate with racing. “I think there is racing everywhere,” Kligerman said. “I really got into racing when I was about nine years old. We got Speed Channel and I saw some kids go-karting on there and decided I needed to be doing that.”
Four years later his parents got him a go-kart and he has been racing ever since. Kligerman knew he had to get out of Connecticut and start racing in other places so he headed out to the Midwest. He also began racing in the south to get his career going.
He went on to race some in the ARCA series as well. When asked if that was when he got his big break, he simply stated, “Well, every opportunity is a big break.” He also added, “I didn’t have a lot of funding so any time I could find an opportunity to get into a race car, I made the most of it.”
Kligerman would race in just about anything including midgets and that is where he made the right connection. He got what he calls, “a line to becoming a Penske Racing development driver.” He continued saying, “That was a big step into getting my foot in the door in the NASCAR ranks. To be associated with such an iconic race team as Penske Racing, it was a huge break, it was one of the few reasons I was able to move into the NASCAR ranks through their support and belief.”
Kligerman also discussed the frenzy around the class of 2014. When asked if being around all the Austin Dillon controversy ever made him feel overshadowed, he said that he expected it. “I think in a lot of ways obviously the 3 coming back into the sport in a Cup level, it was a big deal for everyone involved,” he explained. “He deserved the press and the fan support. I felt like I had an ample amount of support, press and fan support, and I have great fans out there.”
Kligerman went on to say, “I think you make your own headlines and you make your own luck, and whatever it is that you get is most importantly dictated by what you do on the track and that is what I am focused on. I don’t really put too much stock in the other stuff.”
One wonders if he had any inkling about the sweeping changes at Swan Racing that left him without a ride. Did he have a feeling it was coming or was he taken by surprise?
His response was, “Ah no, I actually had inklings and I knew of some things going on. One of the largest was they were going to two cars which was never a decision that I was fully supportive of and I didn’t think as an organization we were strong enough internally for that kind of a move. I felt like it put a lot of strain on the organization and sure enough in the end it did. That’s not to put anyone down, it’s just the situation we were in and at the end of the day I was given a job and that was to put the 30 car in the best position possible week in and week out and that’s what we did.”
Kligerman continued, “Financially I think the team was put in a little bit of a tough spot and obviously going the way it did. It wasn’t a surprise as much as inkling or an idea. I just didn’t know the capacity that would happen.”
When asked what that felt like, he answered, “You know, as a race car driver you never want to be in the position where your performance on the race track isn’t the main story. We started to see that become the issue at Swan. The performance on the race track wasn’t the main goal, basically survival was. As a driver and as an organization that can wear on you. I think in a lot of ways looking forward that some of my decision making and the opportunities that I take going forward, is to make sure the opportunities and the focus is solely on the performance on the race track and not so much of the internal things. I think goal wise it becomes something where you’re more worried about your performance than how to survive which is never a fun situation for anyone involved. Going forward I’m trying to make sure I am never in that spot again.”
When asked what he has been doing since leaving Swan Racing and about his old teammate, Kurt Busch. Kligerman said, “I got the call from Kurt to be backup on the 41 for the All-Star race and the 600 while he did the Indy 500 and that was kind of an honor to get that call and I was flattered to be associated with a top notch organization such as Stewart-Haas Racing.”
He added, “I’ve been actively pursuing other opportunities throughout the sport in NASCAR, outside NASCAR, and all over. We continue to do all our media stuff and our podcast, “Kickin’ It with Kligerman,” just became a radio show.”
His main focus is “making sure that when we make a decision on what my next move is that it’s the right decision. I do have time on my side. I am only 23 years old so I feel I can take a step back and really start to evaluate what’s out there and what the situation is and find the best situation possible for me. That is more important than just jumping into something for the sake of jumping in something. I’m having a little fun too. I am going to drive a couple of different type of racecars over the next few weeks that we will be able to announce. I am just having a lot of fun with the situation and hope we can get back to something full time that can compete for a championship and win in the near future.”
Kligerman has been through quite a bit and when asked what he thinks is his biggest accomplishment so far he responded, “As a driver 23 yrs old”, he said, “I made it to the top of the sport and with very, very little family funding almost non-existent, going on talent alone and being able to work with sponsors and as a driver being determined and grateful for every opportunity I have gotten to get to the highest level of the sport at such a young age. If I were to look back I would be very proud of that and of the times I had good equipment and went out there and raced and have been beat up on and the times I had subpar equipment and went out there again and got the most out of it, and got it in a better position than I deserved. As a driver that’s the best you can hope for. If it all were to stop now I would be proud of the career I have had, proud of the ability I have had to get to the top of our sport, and now that I am here, hopefully I can find the situation that allows me to go out win and fight for championships.”
Inquiries about the rumors that he was looking toward IndyCars resulted in this answer, “Well yeah, I have always had an interest in open wheel racing and that’s where I started. I want to take this time not being in a full time ride, to go out there and drive as many things as possible and just experience other forms of racing. As a race car driver you won’t always have the opportunity to be in the position I am in, so I am kind of making the best of it.”
Kligerman is also proud of his podcast telling me how it has grown significantly and is becoming one of the largest racing podcasts and now it’s become a radio show syndicated for Performance Motorsports Network.
Kligerman is not waiting for things to happen, he is making things happen. He also wanted to make sure to thank his fans.
“To my fans I am grateful for your support. I think we have some cool things coming up that I really think are going to be fun, so stick with us.”
Kligerman has every right to be down about the way things have happened. He could have given up, maybe some would have but he is not even close to showing us all what he is about. He has only just begun.
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