What is the ‘biggest’ difference between NASCAR and Sportscar racing? Parker Kligerman explains

A recent podcast clip from The Money Lap, featuring Parker Kligerman and Landon Cassill, highlighted key differences between NASCAR and sportscar racing. The discussion focused on how drivers in each discipline approach car adjustments and driving techniques.

The clip was shared on X by The Money Lap, a motorsports media company co-founded by Kligerman and Cassill. Kligerman explained that in NASCAR and dirt racing, drivers adapt their driving styles when the car doesn’t handle well. Instead of adjusting the car’s setup mid-race, they work around its behavior.

In contrast, sportscar racing takes a different approach. Drivers first look at mechanical or electronic adjustments to improve performance before altering their driving techniques. This includes modifying engine braking and traction control settings. Kligerman said:

"Our mentality in stock car racing, dirt racing, and everything we know in that oval world is that if the car's not doing what you want it to, drive it differently, change your line. For these cars, your first move is not to change you. It’s like, okay, change the engine braking setting, change the TC setting, and see if you can get the car to react differently before you change what you’re doing in the car."

In response, Landon Cassill related to this based on his NASCAR experience when Cup Series cars had adjustable track bars. He recalled constantly fine-tuning the settings to improve handling. Once the track bar was removed, drivers had to rely solely on adjusting their driving style.

"It was interesting to me when I'd raced with adjustable track bars for two years, and you got so used to always having it over the course of a run. At Richmond one time, I touched it every single lap. And when they took the adjustable track bar away, it was like, when I don’t have a tool anymore, guess I gotta go back to adjusting my driving style," Cassill said.

Both Parker Kligerman and Landon Cassill have experience in stock car racing. Kligerman has raced in NASCAR’s Xfinity and Truck Series, where he won three races and also worked as a development driver for Team Penske. Cassill too has raced in all three national NASCAR series. He started his NASCAR career as a development driver for Hendrick Motorsports and won the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year award.

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“Stop and Smell the Roses” – Parker Kligerman on his new racing chapter

Parker Kligerman’s change to sportscar racing has forced him to adjust his habits. All due to his busy 2025 schedule, balancing sportscar racing, NASCAR, and broadcasting. Despite the workload, he has made a conscious effort to appreciate each opportunity.

The repeatedly reminds himself to pause and enjoy the moment rather than rushing through his commitments. He discussed this change in an interview with the ‘Daytona Beach News-Journal.’

“Stop and smell the roses,” Kligerman said.

One major challenge this change has brought him is the change in braking technique. In NASCAR, he applies around 1,250 pounds of brake pressure, but in his Lamborghini for the Rolex 24, he needs to push closer to 2,000 pounds. Even after multiple practice sessions, Parker Kligerman's instinct limits him to NASCAR habits. Talking about it he said:

“At the test, the funniest part was, by the end of the second day, we looked at all my peak pressures — 1,250. It's like my brain knows that number really, really well, but I've got to now push myself to find more and be better.”

Another big adjustment for Kligerman has been learning the advanced settings in sportscar racing unlike NASCAR, where handling issues are corrected by altering driving techniques, sportscars offer multiple in-car adjustments to fine-tune performance. Citing an example of the same, the 34-year-old explained:

“If something isn’t going well in my Lamborghini, there’s probably a gizmo to fix it.”

Parker Kligerman competed full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for Big Machine Racing in 2023 and made the playoffs. However, at the end of 2024, the 34-year-old announced he would not return. His decision to step back was led by wanting to explore other opportunities in broadcasting, media, and taking on racing as a part-time activity.