Parker Kligerman makes his feelings known after heartbreak leading to Daytona win being DQ - "One of the hardest weeks of my racing life"

Parker Kligerman's momentary win at the Fresh From Florida 250 turned into heartbreak as he was disqualified because his truck was found to be too low on both rear sides in a postrace inspection. NASCAR declared Corey Heim as the new winner of the Truck Series while Kligerman announced his intent to appeal the ruling.

However, the National Motorsports Appeals Panel denied the Henderson Motorsports driver's appeal on February 20, 2025. Expressing his feelings over losing the appeal, Kligerman tweeted:

"Thank you all for the support. This has been one of the hardest weeks of my racing life. I worked with the team 24/7 on the appeal since Saturday night. The truck raced legal. And won legal."

"Due to an unfortunate circumstance in tech. It was measured at an improper height that made the rear low by 1/8 inch on the LR and 1/4 inch on the RR. I will go into full details with my buddy @landoncassill on @themoneylap podcast next week."

Kligerman added that he still has the checkered flag from the race. The No. 75 Henderson Motorsports driver mentioned the same in his heartfelt statement seemingly hinting at his belief of not being in the wrong here.

Shortly after winning the Fresh From Florida 250 and before being disqualified, Parker Kligerman climbed from his truck and planted the checkered flag into the grass at Daytona. This is a gesture the speedster has been doing since his first win in 2012 at Talladega.

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"We respect the panel’s decision": Parker Kligerman's team Henderson Motorsports mentions in latest statement

On February 15, 2025, Parker Kligerman took to X to celebrate his Daytona triumph sharing photos of his celebration, calling it the "biggest win of his life'. However, the 3-time Truck Series winner refused to comment on the disqualification at the time stating that he wanted to present his "very, very valid case" to the panel. Kligerman added that he wanted to focus on his job as a broadcast analyst since the drivers and their teams deserved full focus.

Panelists on the National Motorsports Appeals Panel who decided the fate of Kligerman's Daytona disqualification included Tommy Wheeler, Kevin Whitaker, and Langley Speedway owner Bill Mullis. The panel confirmed its verdict and upheld NASCAR's disqualification via a statement reading:

"The panel confirms it is more likely than not [that] a rules violation did occur and the disqualification penalties in rule 10.5.2.4 necessitate a race disqualification."

Additionally, the racer's team Henderson Motorsports shared a statement putting forth their discontent on the situation and ending on a hopeful note mentioning:

"Update: Unfortunately we have lost our appeal regarding our disqualification from last week's race in Daytona. While we feel that we had a very strong case, we respect the panel’s decision. We’d again like to thank all the fans for their support. We’ve shown that we can compete, and we’ll be back. See you all in Bristol!"

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The recent disqualification is the second time Kligerman has met a fate of this sort, given he nearly won the Xfinity Series last fall at The Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway. However, NASCAR displayed a late caution flag moments before Parker Kligerman crossed under the white flag.

The next NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race will take place on the 1.54-mile Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 22, 2025.