"It's hard to see that happen": Dale Earnhardt Jr. blasts NASCAR's 'silly chain' of events as retiring driver's chance of maiden win gets obliterated

NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. has criticized the "silly chain of events" as Parker Kligerman lost a shot at his maiden Xfinity Series triumph. When the yellow flag was waved, the Big Machine Racing driver was merely two feet away from parking his #48 Chevy in the victory lane.

The chaotic turnaround transpired on Lap 66 after Leland Honeyman rammed his #42 Chevy into the tire barriers and got stuck. But NASCAR officials didn't raise a caution, letting the field stay green. However, after over 20 seconds of delay, as Kligerman was about to take the white flag as leader, the yellow flag was prompted.

The Big Machine Racing driver was already in charge of the pack when theunfortunate incident took place with Honeyman, and had he crossed the line before officials waved the yellow, he would've been the Drive to Cure 250 race winner. Notably, Parker Kligerman is running his final full-time Xfinity Series season and could've concluded the season on a glorious note.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. expressed his "hard" feelings about seeing Kligerman's Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course dismay and opined on the chaotic situation. Despite feeling "thrilled" by his driver Sam Mayer's victory, the former NASCAR driver wasn't pleased with the retiring driver's fate. He said (via Dirty Mo Media on X).

"He's winning this race. There's this car that gets stuck in the tires. This just sucks, I'm being ripped in two. Because I'm thrilled that Sam won the race, this was a perfect outcome for me. What's even more important to me than any of this is the integrity of the sport. It is hard to see that happen, to Parker or any other driver"(0:13).

"You're a foot from the white flag which would, if the caution comes out after you cross it, would determine the race is over. You have spent the entire day busting your a** to put yourself in this position, and this silly chain of events is going to take it away. We have seen, I think some very tough things happen in race control."

Not only did Kligerman lose the win, but his sixth-place finish was insufficient to propel him into the Round of 8.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s driver surged from Talladega disqualification to punching his Round of 8 ticket

Sam Mayer is running a full-time Xfinity schedule for Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s JR Motorsports and entered the Charlotte race with a jeopardized playoff future. It stemmed from his Talladega disqualification due to failing the inspection, as the officials determined that Mayer's #1 Chevy did not meet the post-race height requirement.

Despite JRM appealing NASCAR's ruling, the panel upheld the verdict, putting Mayer in a must-win situation at Charlotte to advance to the next round. The triumph was slipping from his hands as Parker Kligerman was about to take the white flag, but the caution changed everything.

Kligerman led the overtime restart with Mayer second on the inside. After a fierce battle for the lead, Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s driver charged ahead in Turn 7 as the retiring driver suffered from a tire rub. Mayer ultimately won the race, while Kligerman lost valuable pace and dropped multiple track positions, finishing 6th.

Four races remain for the Big Machine Racing driver to wrap up his final full-time season on a high note.