Connor Zilisch’s pinch-hitters are now batting a thousand in the NASCAR Xfinity series. And Parker Kligerman finally found his Daytona redemption.
Kligerman, driving in relief of Zilisch—who is still recovering from what might be the only broken collarbone in history caused by celebrating—held off Austin Hill and Justin Allgaier in an overtime finish that ended under caution Friday night at Daytona International Speedway.
And while the record books will say “Zilisch,” because the teenager gingerly completed the first 13 laps before climbing out, Kligerman finally got to taste victory at a track that had humiliated him just a few months ago.
Back in February, Kligerman crossed the finish line first in the Truck Series opener, only to have it yanked away in post-race inspection. This time, the JR Motorsports Chevy passed tech. No inspectors lurking with scales and templates. No heartbreak.
It also continues Zilisch’s odd run of substitute magic. In May, he missed Texas after a Talladega accident, Kyle Larson filled in, and of course Larson won. But unlike Friday night, Zilisch didn’t start that one—so Larson got the credit. The JR Motorsports brain trust fixed that problem Friday by pulling the switcheroo under the race’s first caution. Not for Harrison Burton spinning down the backstretch, mind you, but for rain. Daytona, ladies and gentlemen.
Stage 1 went to Sammy Smith after a 40-minute rain delay turned into a marathon. The finish wasn’t clean either—Taylor Gray and Carson Kvapil went spinning with a helpful nudge from Matt DiBenedetto.
Stage 2 saw Jesse Love take the restart lead, before Kligerman, Justin Haley, and then Smith traded shots. By Lap 52, Love and teammate Austin Hill were running up front with former RCR man Sheldon Creed in the mix. But two laps from the stage end, Jeb Burton decided he’d had enough of Smith’s blocking and moved him out of the way. The result? Sheetmetal confetti and Allgaier inheriting the stage win under caution.
The calm after that storm lasted until 11 laps to go. Taylor Gray’s left-rear tire blew, he smacked the outside wall, and the aftermath resembled a scrapyard audition. Jeremy Clements piled in, Caesar Bacarella and Josh Bilicki spun for good measure, and NASCAR gave us another restart.
That restart didn’t last long either. Ryan Sieg tried a block on Leland Honeyman and discovered why that’s a bad idea. Eleven cars later, we were in overtime.
And in that overtime, Kligerman kept his nose clean while Austin Hill tried to go four-wide into the last corner. Predictably, chaos followed. The caution froze the field, the scoring gave Zilisch the official win, but everyone in the garage knew who did the heavy lifting.
Sammy Smith somehow emerged second, ahead of Allgaier, with Jesse Love and Sam Mayer completing the top five.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series now leaves the beaches and beer coolers of Daytona for the forests and food trucks of Portland.
Greg was a writer for DriveTribe supporting Amazon's The Grand Tour and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, and a Masters degree in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek and a regular contributor to Forbes.
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