"I started tearing up": Parker Kligerman reacts to his controversial Charlotte race, quotes Hollywood star Vin Diesel

Big Machine Racing driver Parker Kligerman finished sixth at the Drive for the Cure 250, held on October 12, 2024, at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. In the chaotic race, Kligerman led the pack, but with one lap to go, a caution was thrown, changing the results and leading to controversy. Later, in a post-race interview, he reacted to the whole situation.

The #48 driver has raced in 117 races and hasn't secured a win so far, with the closest he got to a win being three runner-up finishes.

The caution being thrown at the Charlotte Motor Speedway prevented Kligerman from bagging his maiden Xfinity Series race win. Speaking on the incident, the 34-year-old quoted Vin Diesel from the Fast and the Furious series, saying:

"God. I mean, you know, that's, that's just, that's a call, and that's sports, and you know that sometimes you're an inch short or a mile short or whatever. It doesn't matter. What Vin Diesel say, doesn't matter if you win by an inch or a mile. Sometimes you get a cost. You get the white flag by an inch or a mile and four chances for a second." [00:11]

Speaking further, Kligerman said that he initially thought he won and started to tear up before finding out he did not win the race.

"I thought we won, but I haven't done this enough on TV. I was like, Hey, check that. It's official. And then it sounded then they, I saw on the big screen, Patrick celebrating. So I'm like, then I started tearing up. And then they were like, Oh no, we didn't; we got to refocus. And I was like, okay, all right, I can do that. I'm a professional," he said. [00:33]

Kligerman further highlighted that he led the pack before the restart, and after the restart when cars reached the seventh turn, Sam Mayer took the lead coming inside in the turn. He added that he did everything possible in his hand to win the race but didn't win the race.

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Kenny Wallace not happy with NASCAR's decision of the last caution costing Parker Kligerman his first win

Parker Kligerman aimed to break his 117-winless streak at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, but Sam Mayer overtook him. However, Kenny Wallace is upset with the timing of the flag and blames NASCAR for the timing. Kligerman was just two feet away from the finishing line when the official threw caution, causing a drift in the results.

Wallace believes NASCAR was responsible for "screwing" the #48 driver and posted a video on his X account expressing his views:

"Parker Kligerman got screwed blued and tattooed. I feel so bad for him. I think all race car drivers have been in that position. Here's the controversy. He's human. It's human. NASCAR decides when to push that button. It's a human up there. So they push the button 2-feet before Parker Kligerman gets there, and it's just a b*tch." [00:00]

Kligerman's sixth place finish sees him at 12th position in the Xfinity Series standings, which means he will not qualify for the Round of 8.