CONCORD, N.C. — Parker Kligerman sat on the car door of his No. 48 Chevrolet, watching Roval winner Sam Mayer do burnouts and celebrate.
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Had NASCAR waited another second or two before throwing the caution, Kligerman would have been the one celebrating. Instead, he watched his championship dreams fade away just like the tire smoke from Mayer's burnout.
"This hurts," Kligerman said on pit road after the race. "I mean, I said on the cooldown lap that I want to cry, but I won't, and it's gotten close a couple times as I think about it."
But he wasn't angry. He was still grateful for everything he has experienced in his career.
"I've really loved doing this, and I've been so grateful to have the opportunity to be here and to be at this level and to make a career doing this. And I just love the intensity and the pressure."
SVG, Austin Hill (not shown in the video), and Aric Almirola were among the drivers who showed support for Parker Kligerman after his heartbreaking loss. pic.twitter.com/TERW9dKGKN
— John Newby (@JohnNewby_) October 12, 2024
Kligerman was in the lead with two laps remaining at the Charlotte Roval. His first career Xfinity win and a spot in the Round of 8 were in his sights. He secured neither as NASCAR threw the caution for a car stuck in the tire barrier.
Kligerman was inches away from crossing the start-finish line and taking the white flag, which would have made him the winner. However, the caution lights turned on just before. This sent the race to overtime and set up Mayer's race-winning pass.
"It's a call, and it's sports, and sometimes you're an inch short, or a mile short, or whatever, it doesn't matter," Kligerman said. "What's Vin Diesel say? 'It doesn't matter if you win by an inch or a mile.'
"Sometimes you get a caution or get the white flag by an inch or a mile and it was an inch for us this time."
This loss was more significant past near-misses considering that Kligerman is in his final season as a full-time driver. He announced earlier this year that he would end this chapter of his life after the season finale at Phoenix.
This race was his opportunity to keep himself and Big Machine Racing in contention for the Xfinity title.
"I really, really wanted that," Kligerman said. "I just felt like that was a poetic... if I could just do one thing, it would have been winning this damn race in that fashion, holding off some of the best in the world in (Shane van Gisbergen) and AJ (Allmendinger), Sam Mayer, who's the Roval master now.
"I thought I was driving at the highest level I've ever driven, and I didn't get it done."
Kligerman will leave the Roval without that elusive win and a spot in the next round of the playoffs. What he will have, however, is the respect of his peers.
A parade of drivers stopped by Kligerman's car after Saturday evening's race. Austin Hill interrupted Kligerman's media session to offer his support. Shane van Gisbergen took a moment to put his arm around his fellow driver.
Aric Almirola, a man who has overcome adversity in his NASCAR career numerous times, spent several moments with Kligerman delivering a message.
Photo credit: AltDriver
"I just told Parker that he's a hell of a race car driver, and I know he's really upset, but in the grand scheme of life, this is just a race," Almirola told FanBuzz after the race. "So I know he's gutted.
"...So I feel like he deserves the credit. And I know he's made the announcement that he's going to retire and step away, and it would have been even sweeter for him to get that win. I think at the end of the day there's so much more to life than wins and losses at the race track."
