"It needs to make sense" - Jeff Burton presses NASCAR over unresolved race-ending chaos amid Parker Kligerman controversy

Jeff Burton weighed in on Parker Kligerman’s controversial caution timing at Charlotte Motor Speedway that robbed the driver’s chance to secure his first Xfinity win. Burton believes NASCAR’s calls should be simple enough to make sense.

Nicknamed “the Mayor”, Burton is a former NASCAR driver who won 21 races in the premier series, including two Coca-Cola 600s in 1999 and 2001. He is now part of NBC Sports as an analyst for the Cup and Xfinity Series.

During the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course race, Burton called out NASCAR for the caution timing at Charlotte that left fans and teams confused.

“We got to get this fixed. I’m sorry. As a fan, I should see a light and say that’s it," he said.

The 57-year-old argued that the race official’s ruling on track should make sense, saying:

“They should not have to go back and say, ‘Well, wait a minute, there’s a timestamp.’ I mean, it needs to make sense, and it needs to be simple.”

For some context, Kligerman in the No. 48 Big Machine Racing Chevrolet was running in P1 when Leland Honeyman hit the barrier and got stuck on lap 66. The race officials held a caution flag for about 15 seconds before deploying it while Kligerman was a few feet away from the start/finish line.

According to NASCAR, the difference between the illumination of caution lights and Kligerman crossing the line was 0.05 seconds.

Had the driver crossed the line under a white flag, he would’ve won the race after a yellow was thrown. Instead, the race went to overtime and Sam Mayer took the victory. Kligerman finished in 6th after starting the race in 22nd.

Kligerman was eliminated from playoff contention in his final season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series as a full-time driver. He is set to retire after over 115 starts in the second-tier series with 15 top-5 and 51 top-10 finishes.

After the race, the 34-year-old driver admitted he wanted to cry on the cooldown lap after losing the win. He said (via NASCAR):

“This hurts. I said on the cooldown lap I want to cry, but I won’t, and it’s gotten close a couple times as I think about it.”

The Connecticut native continued by expressing his love for the sport amid his final season as a full-time driver.

“I just, I’ve really loved doing this, and I’ve been so grateful to have the opportunity to be here and to be at this level and to make a career doing this. And I just love the intensity and the pressure. And I really, really wanted that," he added.

Parker Kligerman in the No. 48 Chevy at Charlotte (Source: Imagn)

Kligerman still has four races left to try and park his car in victory for the first time. The next stop will be at Las Vegas Motor Speedway scheduled on October 19.

---

Jeff Burton shared a heartfelt moment with his son Harrison after the Daytona win

Jeff Burton had a proud dad moment after his son Harrison Burton won the Coke Zero Sugar 400 from Daytona last August. The victory marked Harrison Burton's first win in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Burton congratulated his son for the win on the radio, saying:

"Harrison, it's dad. What's up? Congratulations bud."

Harrison ran three races in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs before getting eliminated in the Round of 16. He is set to leave Wood Brothers Racing to join AM Racing in the Xfinity Series next year.