Heartbreaking. That’s the only way to describe Parker Kligerman’s fate at the Charlotte Roval. The Big Machine Racing driver was on course to secure his first Xfinity Series race of the season, which would have seen him advance to the next playoff round and keep his championship hopes alive. Instead, a late caution was waved just seconds before Kligerman was about to begin his final lap. As a result, the race was extended by two overtime laps, which forced the 34-year-old to be eliminated from the playoffs.

A sixth-place result was far from what Kligerman deserved, but it was an outcome he was forced to accept in the final Round of 12 race. The Connecticut native is set to retire from full-time racing at the end of 2024 and took to social media to speak about the disappointing outcome at the ‘Roval’.

Parker Kligerman taking positives despite Roval heartbreak

NASCAR can be a brutal sport. Unfortunately for Parker Kligerman, he learned the lesson the hard way. The No. 48 Chevy driver may have lacked the speed that JR Motorsports’ Sam Mayer showed on the 2.32-mile hybrid road course, but by using his experience, he made up for the deficit through patience and execution. It was turning out to be a fairytale ending for the 34-year-old, who began the Drive for the Cure 250 in 22nd place, last among the playoff drivers, but quickly made up the grid positions as the race progressed. With eight laps to go, he overtook road course ace Shane van Gisbergen thanks to fresher tires and held off Mayer in the closing stages.

Reflecting on the controversial caution call that changed the outcome of the race, Parker Kligerman said, “There at the end, yes, it was heartbreaking. Yes, for 30 seconds I felt what it was like to win an Xfinity race. In a must-win position and to rise up and I felt that and now I know what it’s like, but that’s racing in the way it went down and this sport is cruel at times. It will rip your heart out, but that’s why we do it and that’s why we love it. Because when it all comes together, what an incredible feeling to know all those factors lined up. But you know, we had a tremendous performance, and that’s all I can control and I take solace in that.”

It all began when Leland Honeyman crashed into the tire barrier in the closing stages of the race. The caution was waved with mere seconds remaining before Kligerman could cross the start-finish line for the final lap, which was what brought about the controversy. The sanctioning body was blamed for making a late call, which forced an unlikely underdog, who deserved to secure his first victory and progress into the Round of 8, to miss out on a rare opportunity. Instead, Sam Mayer, who won the race last year, secured his third win of the season.

If Parker Kligerman would have won, could he have progressed to the championship race at Phoenix Raceway? Despite his underdog status, the 34-year-old has a wealth of experience in the Xfinity Series, having made 118 starts in NASCAR’s second tier. Given his performance at the Charlotte Roval, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that he would have made it to the Championship 4. Had he won, another team might have given him a chance to compete in NASCAR season. Instead, the No. 48 Chevy driver will close the curtains on his full-time racing career, with Nick Sanchez replacing him at Big Machine Racing.

NASCAR admits delaying the controversial caution at the Roval

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After the checkered flag was waved at the Roval, plenty of fans and drivers were left with a bitter taste in their mouths. The consensus was that Parker Kligerman was robbed of his first Xfinity Series victory because of NASCAR’s untimely caution in the final Round of 12 playoff race. According to the rules, if the yellow flag is waved during the final lap, the race leader is automatically given the victory, but in this case, there was a second difference before the Big Machine Racing driver could cross the start-finish line.

When questioned about the delay during his weekly appearance at SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Senior Vice President of Competition Elton Sawyer admitted to the mistake by saying, “It did take too long. I met with our team in the tower after the race Saturday night. We went through what happened there. We made some adjustments overnight as far as camera angles so that our replay operator could get to that to be able to see that quicker to be able to get that information to the race director.”

Sawyer’s comments left fans perplexed, as it didn’t answer the underlying reasons that led to the delay. While the NASCAR official admitted that the mistake was rectified so that wasn’t repeated at the 2024 Bank of America ROVAL 400, he failed to address why was such an action needed in the first place, especially in a high-stakes Round of 12 playoff race. It will be interesting to see if this incident brings about a change in how quickly NASCAR officials bring about cautions going forward. Kligerman’s heartbreak will leave a lasting impact on drivers and fans, who will hope that all the sanctioning body changes the way they operate for a fairer outcome in future races.