“I couldn’t believe how fast we were”: Parker Kligerman surprised by his Watkins Glen pace despite being “screwed” after the first stage 

Following his retirement announcement last week, Parker Kligerman showed remarkable speed at Watkins Glen, achieving a seventh-place finish while operating with only three gears, having started from the 19th position. Reflecting on his car's impressive ascent through the field, Kligerman expressed appreciation for its performance.

Parker Kligerman approached the Watkins Glen race with a history of strong finishes, holding an average placement of 4.5 across two Xfinity Series races. Last year, he clinched third place after starting 14th. Before that, he appeared at Watkins Glen in the Xfinity Series in 2013, where he finished sixth after starting from ninth.

Discussing the performance capabilities of his car, Kligerman remarked (as reported by @SPEEDSPORT on X)

"It's really difficult [without the fourth gear]. [...] It's just back stretch, but it's like It's I couldn't believe how fast we were. I mean the first stage one minute happened. I was like sh*t. We're done like this. We're screwed and then somehow we could turn top three a lot times, so. You know, it's pretty cool to adjust and make speed."

Parker Kligerman took to social media to share an update from the race, featuring a photo of himself and two of his #48 car, with the caption:

"P7 at the glen with only 3 gears. Pretty impressive day by our whole team. I was quite shocked at how after losing 4th on lap 10, how fast we could go. Had to lean into all my experience and finding ways to coast and brake later. Was even in the convo at the front a bit. We are in a great spot for the playoffs. Let’s go 🤙"

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Parker Kligerman recently opened up about his decision to retire from full-time NASCAR racing

Further during the interview with a Speed Sports reporter, when asked about the reasons for his decision to retire, Parker Kligerman cited multiple factors. He expressed profound appreciation for the opportunities he's had to race at NASCAR's highest level, thanks to the support from Scott Borchetta and Big Machine Racing.

As he put it into words:

"I've been doing this for over a second half and... I've gotten a lot out of it and I've been really lucky to do it at a high level and to experience this from Scott Borchetta and Big Machine Raising. But it just felt like... you know, the time, I had this feeling that it was time for every reason it was."

Currently ranked ninth in the driver standings with one race left in the regular season, Parker Kligerman is getting ready for the Bristol Motor Speedway. He has an average finish of 18.6 at Bristol from five starts, including three top-10 finishes. However, in his last outing at Bristol in September 2023, he finished in 31st place after starting 13th.