“NASCAR missed opportunity to build confidence” - Parker Kligerman’s crew chief pulls no punches on ‘inconsistent’ Daytona post-race inspection

Parker Kligerman's crew chief, Chris Carrier, released a statement after the driver's disqualification from the season-opening race at the Daytona International Speedway. He suggested 'inconsistent' post-race inspection procedures were to blame for the disqualification and claimed that their truck would have been declared legal if it had been checked the same way as others.

Kligerman won the race at the Daytona International Speedway after snatching the lead in the last-lap shootout, shortly after which, the caution was waved. While the team celebrated the victory, it was short-lived. A post-race inspection revealed that their truck's rear was lower than the minimum requirement, and he was disqualified from the Fresh From Florida 250.

The team quickly appealed the DSQ, but the panel upheld NASCAR's findings and the disqualification remained. This turned out to be a major letdown for the team. After Parker Kligerman's disqualification, Corey Heim was declared the winner, who was right behind him when the caution light went out.

Chris Carrier, crew chief of the #75 truck, recently released a statement regarding the decision. He claimed that certain inconsistencies in NASCAR's post-race inspection led to their disqualification. He suggested that there was miscommunication between the team and the inspectors, and their truck was "not measured correctly," also adding that there was no "malicious intent."

"We believe the post-race failure resulted from a misunderstanding between two NASCAR inspectors and our team, which led our road crew to follow incorrect instructions on the height sticks process. There was no malicious intent; however, we firmly believe our truck was not measured correctly and was not held to the same post-race inspection procedures as the other trucks," Chris Carrier stated.

The statement further read that NASCAR "missed an opportunity to build confidence," with the "inconsistent" post-race inspection.

"Had our truck been inspected the same way as everyone else’s, it would have passed. We believe NASCAR missed an opportunity to build confidence with its teams and fans by not overturning this ruling, especially given the clear miscommunication and inconsistent post-race inspection practices surrounding our truck," Carrier added.

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Parker Kligerman reviews his lost win at the Daytona: "Biggest win of my life"

Having retired from full-time racing at the end of the 2024 season from the Xfinity Series, the Daytona victory came as a huge achievement to Parker Kligerman. Throughout the run of his career in all three premier NASCAR series, he had never won at the Daytona International Speedway.

In a post he uploaded on social media shortly after his victory and the following disqualification, he labeled it as the "biggest win." He wrote:

"Biggest win of my life. Thank you all for the wonderful messages. Over 700 texts. I will not be commenting any further until we are able to present what I believe is a very, very valid case."

Parker Kligerman is currently on a part-time contract with Henderson Motorsports in the Truck Series.