Parker Kligerman
Parker Kligerman joined Penske Racing as a development driver in 2008 at the young age of 18. After battling for the ARCA RE/MAX Series title, winning the pole in his first NASCAR Nationwide Series race in 2009 and some impressive performances in limited Nationwide Series action last season, Kligerman has established himself as one of stock car racing’s promising young talents.
Kligerman first began competitive racing when he was 13, driving two-stroke go karts at the local level. He joined the Skip Barber Series when he was 15 and promptly won all three races in which he competed.
He continued to excel in open-wheel racing as he captured the Formula TR Pro Series 1600 class title in 2006. Kligerman won an amazing 11 of 14 races during his title run and he finished second in the three races that he did not win.
In 2007, Kligerman competed in USAC Midget racing as he produced three top-five and six top-10 results on his way to a fourth-place championship finish in the Illinois State Midget Championship.
Kligerman was named to the Cunningham Motorsports Junior Team in 2008, through a partnership with Dodge Motorsports, and he made his ARCA RE/MAX Series debut while he continued to race midgets.
In 2009 Kligerman had a season that many drivers only dream about. In 19 starts he won nine races, posted 14 top-five and 18 top-10 finishes in the ARCA Series. He finished second, just five points shy of winning the championship and he took home Rookie-of-the-Year honors.
Kligerman made his Nationwide Series debut with Penske Racing in October of 2009 at Kansas Speedway. He won the pole in the No. 22 Penske Truck Rental Dodge in his first series qualifying session. After leading the first seven laps of the race, Kligerman went on to finish 16th.
In 2010, Kligerman made 12 Nationwide Series starts. He qualified in the top-10 in five of those events, with his best qualifying effort coming at Daytona, where he started on the outside of the front row in the new Nationwide Series car. The young gun from Connecticut went on to post a pair of top-10 results and he finished inside the top-15 in six of his series starts.