In Friday night's Wawa 250 at Daytona International Speedway, something happened that hadn't been seen in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 18 years: the driver who won the race was not credited as the pilot of the winning car.
That's because after breaking his collarbone while celebrating at Watkins Glen International two weeks ago, Connor Zilisch started the event but was relieved by Parker Kligerman under the first caution flag. The latter finished the deal, but the former received the credit for what is technically his seventh win of the 2025 season, and fifth in the six most recent races.
Still, while Kligerman won't be acknowledged in the record books, it was one of NASCAR's best feel-good victories in a long time, especially given the circumstances stemming from the series veteran's previous trip to Daytona.
Parker Kligerman's shining moment has been a long time coming
In February, Kligerman took the checkered flag first in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series' Fresh From Florida 250 at Daytona, but his Henderson Motorsports team was later disqualified after failing post-race inspection. Despite the thrilling late-race action that led to his win and the ensuing celebration full of raw emotion, hours later it was all for nothing.
NASCAR's disqualification policy has been controversial for this exact reason ever since it was implemented in 2019. If we're being honest, every team is bending the rules to at least some degree, and to entirely strip them of their result was a step too far. Particularly on superspeedways, given their random nature, it has to be assumed that any illegal modifications to a car or truck can only make a marginal impact at best.
Kligerman's disqualification especially stung given the part-time, underfunded operation he was competing for, and it would age even more painfully after proving to be the last opportunity for team owner Charlie Henderson, who passed away in June, to see his truck in victory lane.
For the driver, it was only the latest heartbreak after having run two full Xfinity seasons for Big Machine Racing in 2023 and 2024, in which he never won but encountered several close calls. Most notably, he was fractions of a second from taking the white flag at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval in 2024 before a caution set up an overtime finish.
Kligerman stepped away from full-time racing this season in order to pursue a commentary role for the Xfinity Series on the CW channel, with sporadic Truck starts sprinkled in. But he was called back to the Xfinity driver's seat this past week for JR Motorsports, and he delivered at the place that stole his special moment months ago.
In every sport, there are always at least a few people who everybody just can't help but root for. Kligerman is one of NASCAR's resident good guys, someone who has always made the most of his opportunities while maintaining a humble, authentic personality that the common fan can easily relate to.
Ultimately, Zilisch will go down in the record books as the winner of the 2025 Wawa 250. But make no mistake: Kligerman won. After a series of agonizing defeats, his hard work is vindicated at last, and you'd be hard-pressed not to feel good for him.