The NASCAR Cup Series teams will take on World Wide Technology Raceway for the first time on June 5 (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1). Parker Kligerman will use the opportunity to get back behind the wheel of a Cup Series car.
The NASCAR Roster Portal revealed the news on June 1. The entry for the No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Ford Mustang named Kligerman as the driver. He will work with crew chief Kevyn Rebolledo, who has guided David Ragan, Joey Hand, JJ Yeley, and Ryan Preece during the 2022 Cup Series season.
This race will mark Kligerman’s first Cup Series start of the 2022 season. It will also be his 30th overall dating back to the 2013 season. The driver/NBC Sports analyst has spent his entire Cup Series career with two teams. He made 10 starts for Swan Racing and 19 for Gaunt Brothers Racing, including the 2021 trip to Kansas Speedway. He will now take on WWTR while making his debut with a different team.
ALL the latest NASCAR news straight to your inbox! Subscribe to the Heavy on NASCAR newsletter here!
Sign up for the Heavy on NASCAR Newsletter!
Kligerman Has Experience Across All 3 National Series
GettyParker Kligerman has made nearly 200 starts across 3 national series.
The Connecticut native has one full-time season in the Xfinity Series and two in the Camping World Truck Series, so he has not been a consistent presence at the track. However, he has extensive experience across the three national series.
Along with the 29 Cup Series starts, Kligerman has made 54 in the Xfinity Series while posting 19 top-10 finishes and three top-fives. He has spent the most time in the Camping World Truck Series in a career featuring 103 starts, 47 top-10 finishes, 21 top-fives, and two wins.
While Kligerman has extensive experience in NASCAR, the upcoming race will present a new challenge. He has not previously competed at World Wide Technology Raceway in the Camping World Truck Series or any other series. When he suits up for practice at the 1.25-mile track, it will be the first time.
One of Kligerman’s Truck Series peers will also climb into a Cup Series car for practice and qualifying. Defending champion Ben Rhodes will take over the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet Camaro for the first day of action while the Xfinity Series races in Portland, Ore. However, AJ Allmendinger will return to the track in time for the Cup Series race.
Past Experience May Not Play a Major Role
When Kligerman takes over the No. 15 for Rick Ware Racing, he will face off with several Cup Series drivers that have experience at WWTR. The list includes Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., Bubba Wallace, Christopher Bell, and multiple others.
Interestingly, one of these drivers explained that the past experience at WWTR may not play a major role in the inaugural Cup Series race. Busch provided this insight during a press conference prior to the Coca-Cola 600.
“I would say that just being able to run there before and knowing the racetrack itself would give you a little more than somebody who has never been there before, but honestly, having a normal practice weekend everything will kind of shakeout pretty evenly at the end of the day. I’m looking forward to getting back there. It has been a long time,” Busch explained, transcript courtesy of Toyota Racing.
READ NEXT: USA Drops Trailer for Austin Dillon’s Reality Series
No comments:
Post a Comment