Parker Kligerman

Parker Kligerman Bio

Parker Lindsley Kligerman is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver and motorsports broadcaster. Born on August 8, 1990, in Westport, Connecticut, he last competed part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 75 Chevrolet Silverado for Henderson Motorsports, while also running selected IMSA SportsCar Championship events in the No. 78 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2 for Forte Racing. Beyond driving, Kligerman works as a color commentator for NASCAR on The CW, a studio analyst for NASCAR on TNT Sports, and a pit reporter for NASCAR on NBC, a role he has held since 2015. A former development driver for Team Penske, he is also the co-founder of the motorsports media brand The Money Lap.

Early Life and Background

Parker Lindsley Kligerman was born in Greenwich, Connecticut, and grew up in nearby Stamford before his family moved to Westport, Connecticut, when he was 11 years old. He remained in Westport through his formative years before relocating to pursue a career in NASCAR. Kligerman developed a passion for cars and racing during his childhood in southwestern Connecticut, a region with a long-standing appreciation for automotive culture.

His early exposure to competitive motorsports laid the foundation for a career that began in stock car racing’s developmental ladder. The Connecticut native balanced school with travel to short tracks and regional events, gaining the experience needed to break into the national series. His progression through the sport reflected a steady climb driven by family support and an early dedication to racing.

Path to NASCAR

Kligerman’s path to NASCAR started in the ARCA Re/Max Series, where he made his series debut in 2008 with Cunningham Motorsports as part of Team Penske’s driver development program. Driving the No. 77 Cunningham Motorsports Dodge in two ARCA races that year, he earned a full-time seat in 2009 and immediately impressed, finishing second in series points. That rookie season produced two major awards: the ARCA Re/Max Series Rookie of the Year and the Bill France Four Crown, both honoring his consistency across the season’s marquee events.

His ARCA success opened the door to the NASCAR Nationwide Series, where he made his debut for Penske in 2009 at Kansas Speedway and won the pole. Those early national-series starts established Kligerman as a promising young talent, setting the stage for a full-time move into NASCAR’s touring divisions. By 2010, he was racing across multiple national series, building the resume that would define his career.

Parker Kligerman Career

Early Career (2008–2010)

Kligerman’s professional career began in 2008 with Cunningham Motorsports in the ARCA Re/Max Series. The 2009 season was his true breakout, as he finished second in ARCA points, captured Rookie of the Year honors, and won the Bill France Four Crown. He paired that ARCA campaign with a Nationwide Series debut at Kansas Speedway for Team Penske, where he won the pole in his first national-series start.

In 2010, Kligerman moved to the NASCAR Nationwide Series full-time with Team 42 Racing, attempting the first five races of the season. The year brought challenges, including a failure to qualify at Daytona and a crash at Talladega, but he also posted top-ten finishes at Bristol and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Those results demonstrated his potential even as his team struggled to maintain its program.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Breakthrough (2011–2012)

Kligerman moved to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2011 with Brad Keselowski Racing, driving the No. 29 Ram and contesting Rookie of the Year honors. He returned to the team in 2012 and added a limited Nationwide schedule with Penske Racing, sharing the No. 22 with Brad Keselowski and Jacques Villeneuve. After the first 11 races of 2012, he was released from Brad Keselowski Racing and signed with Red Horse Racing to drive the No. 7 Toyota for the remainder of the season.

The defining moment came on October 6, 2012, when Kligerman won his first Truck Series race at Talladega Superspeedway in the Fred’s 250 Powered by Coca-Cola. He remained a fringe title contender late in the year before a crash at Phoenix ended his championship hopes. Kligerman closed the season with a pole and a seventh-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway, ending the year fifth in the series standings.

NASCAR Xfinity and Cup Series (2013–2016)

In 2013, Kligerman joined Kyle Busch Motorsports to run the No. 77 Toyota Camry full-time in the Nationwide Series. He posted three top-five finishes and ended the year ninth in points. That same year, he made his Sprint Cup Series debut at Texas Motor Speedway in the AAA Texas 500 with Swan Racing, finishing 18th and recording the team’s best result of the season. In 2014, Swan Racing expanded to two full-time Cup teams and put Kligerman behind the wheel for the full year, but sponsorship problems and on-track struggles forced the team to shut down mid-season. That May, Stewart-Haas Racing tapped Kligerman as a practice and stand-by driver for Kurt Busch during the Sprint All-Star Race and Coca-Cola 600 as Busch attempted the Indianapolis 500 double duty. Later in 2014, Kligerman began working with NBC Sports Network as an analyst.

Throughout 2015 and 2016, Kligerman balanced his NBCSN broadcast work with part-time driving opportunities. In 2015, he returned to competition in the Xfinity Series at Darlington with Obaika Racing. In 2016, he drove the No. 92 Ford F-150 for RBR Enterprises in the Truck Series at Daytona and joined Athenian Motorsports at Kentucky before parting ways with RBR ahead of Martinsville. He ended the year attempting a Talladega start for Henderson Motorsports in the No. 75 Toyota, though a brake issue in qualifying kept him out of the race.

Henderson Motorsports Era (2017–2022)

Kligerman rejoined Henderson Motorsports in 2017, running eight to ten Truck Series races while continuing his NBC Sports pit reporter duties. After a DNQ at Daytona, he scored a breakthrough win in October at Talladega. He also returned to the Cup Series in 2018 with Gaunt Brothers Racing at the Coca-Cola 600, then ran 14 Cup races for the team in 2019, recording a best finish of 15th in both the Daytona 500 and the 1000Bulbs.com 500.

After sitting out the Cup side in 2020, Kligerman returned to Henderson’s No. 75 Silverado for ten Truck starts that year, posting a best finish of fourth at Bristol. In 2021, he expanded his truck schedule to twelve races, recording two top-fives at Watkins Glen and Darlington, and added a 20th-place Cup run with Gaunt Brothers at Kansas. In 2022, he won his third career Truck Series race in dramatic fashion at the O’Reilly Auto Parts 150 at Mid-Ohio on July 9, holding off Zane Smith for a decisive victory.

Big Machine Racing and Return to Xfinity (2023–2024)

On October 29, 2022, Big Machine Racing announced Kligerman as the full-time driver of the No. 48 in the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. He stayed consistent throughout the regular season, made the Xfinity playoffs for the first time in his career, and delivered Big Machine Racing’s first-ever playoff berth. Kligerman was eliminated at the Charlotte Roval. He returned to BMR for 2024, but the No. 48 was levied an L1 penalty after Michigan when illegal rear-spoiler modifications were discovered, costing the team twenty owner and driver points and drawing a $25,000 fine for crew chief Patrick Donahue. In September 2024, Kligerman announced he would not return to BMR and would retire from full-time racing at season’s end. A late-race caution controversy at the Charlotte Roval, where he crossed the line as the leader but was deemed short of the white flag, denied him a first Xfinity win and ultimately led to his elimination from the playoffs.

Part-Time Return (2025–Present)

In 2025, Kligerman returned to part-time competition. At the Fresh From Florida 250 Truck Series opener at Daytona on February 14, he took the checkered flag first in the No. 75 for Henderson Motorsports, but post-race inspection found the truck too low, and the win was awarded to Corey Heim, with Kligerman relegated to last. Later, when Xfinity rookie Connor Zilisch suffered a broken collarbone, Kligerman was named the backup driver for JR Motorsports’ No. 88 at the Wawa 250 at Daytona. He took over at lap 13 and drove to victory lane, though under NASCAR rules, Zilisch was credited as the race winner for starting the event.

Driving Style and Strengths

Kligerman has built much of his reputation on superspeedway craft, where his patience and timing have produced wins at Talladega and Mid-Ohio. He has shown the ability to adapt across vehicles, jumping between trucks, Cup cars, and GT machinery with Forte Racing in IMSA. His broadcast work has sharpened his understanding of race strategy, and that perspective carries over into his behind-the-wheel decision-making in late-race situations.

Notable Races and Milestones

Kligerman’s signature moments include his first Truck Series victory at Talladega in 2012, his return to victory lane at the same track in 2017, and his hard-fought Mid-Ohio win in 2022 that broke a long winless drought. His 2014 Daytona 500 practice crash, in which his car flipped into the catch fence, ended without injury and underscored the dangers of superspeedway racing. His 2025 victory lane run at Daytona in the Xfinity Series, despite Zilisch earning the official credit, was another emotional milestone.

Parker Kligerman Career Wins

Parker Kligerman has accumulated three NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series wins across his career, along with ten ARCA Menards Series victories. His Truck Series wins came at Talladega Superspeedway in 2012, Talladega again in 2017, and Mid-Ohio in 2022. He has yet to record a victory in the NASCAR Cup Series or the NASCAR Xfinity Series, though his late-2024 Charlotte Roval run and 2025 Daytona effort showed he has been on the cusp of a national-series breakthrough.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Highlights

Kligerman’s three Truck Series wins span more than a decade, beginning with his breakthrough at Talladega in October 2012. He added a second Talladega triumph in October 2017 with Henderson Motorsports, and his third came at the road course of Mid-Ohio on July 9, 2022, where he held off Zane Smith in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 150. Across the series, he has collected 53 top-ten finishes and two poles, with a career-best points finish of fifth in 2012.

ARCA and Other Performances

In the ARCA Menards Series, Kligerman recorded ten career wins, 22 top-ten finishes, and two poles, with a best championship result of second in 2009. That season also brought the ARCA Re/Max Series Rookie of the Year and Bill France Four Crown awards, the two highest honors in the series for a young driver. He has also made IMSA SportsCar Championship starts with Forte Racing, primarily in the GTD class.

Parker Kligerman Family

Family Background and Racing Lineage

Kligerman grew up in southwestern Connecticut, moving from Greenwich to Stamford and later to Westport during his childhood. He is the co-founder and president of Focus Now Solutions, the manufacturer of the focus-enhancing beverage Focus7 Shot. He is also a member of Lime Rock Group, LLC, the ownership group behind Lime Rock Park, the historic road course in Lakeville, Connecticut.

Personal Life

After spending his early years in Stamford and Westport, Kligerman returned to Stamford, Connecticut, where he currently resides. His professional life blends racing, broadcasting, and entrepreneurship, with his media brand The Money Lap co-founded in 2023 alongside fellow driver Landon Cassill. He has been a familiar face on NBC Sports since 2014, contributing as an analyst and pit reporter across the network’s NASCAR coverage.

2025 Season Performance

Parker Kligerman’s 2025 campaign has been a part-time effort split between the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with Henderson Motorsports and selected IMSA SportsCar Championship events with Forte Racing. In the Truck Series, he took the checkered flag first at the Fresh From Florida 250 at Daytona in February but was stripped of the win after post-race inspection, finishing last in the official results. He has continued to make selective starts in the No. 75 Silverado while balancing his growing broadcast schedule across NBC, The CW, and TNT Sports.

His most unexpected highlight came at the Wawa 250 at Daytona, where he stepped in for an injured Connor Zilisch in the JR Motorsports No. 88 and drove to victory lane. Although Zilisch was officially credited as the winner under NASCAR rules, the run demonstrated that Kligerman remains race-ready whenever a team calls. In IMSA, he has logged starts with Forte Racing in the No. 78 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2 in the GTD class, working to build experience in sports car competition.

With a reduced driving calendar and an expanding media presence, Kligerman’s 2025 outlook centers on staying sharp for part-time opportunities while deepening his role as one of NASCAR’s most recognizable TV analysts. His current team, manufacturer, and car number remain anchored at Henderson Motorsports, Chevrolet, and the No. 75.