The news came out yesterday that Parker Kligerman — a Sprint Cup rookie who lost his ride at now-defunct Swan Racing a few weeks ago — will be piloting the #41 Stewart-Haas Chevy at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the events that Kurt Busch will miss.
Good for Parker! The guy can finally get some laps (hopefully) under him in a good ride.
Busch is attempting to race the “double” this year on May 25 — running the 98th Indianapolis 500, then flying off to Charlotte to run NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 — a feat that hasn’t been done since Robby Gordon in 2004.
Who knows, maybe the Indy 500 will run late this year and Busch won’t make it back to Charlotte in time for the 600? If that’s the case, Parker Kligerman could be thrust into the spotlight with a big opportunity.
Nevertheless, all the practice time Busch is putting in his open-wheel ride at the Brickyard in preparation for the 500 will certainly cut into his stock car time, and Parker Kligerman seems to be the best choice at the moment to fill in. Busch is competing for Andretti Autosport at Indy.
At the moment, it looks like Kligerman will only be wheeling Kurt’s car in practice sessions for Saturday night’s NASCAR All-Star race. As a stand-by driver, Kligerman might get no laps at all.
Kligerman was paired with fellow rookie Cole Whitt at Swan Racing to begin the 2014 season, and both had their share of struggles. I mean, c’mon, it was only expected from a low-budget team that employed two rookie drivers.
Unfortunately, Kligerman lost his #30 ride after the eighth race of the season at Darlington due to sponsorship woes. It wasn’t a talent issue, as Kligerman has proven in the Nationwide and Truck series that he can hang with the best of them, but rather a luck issue.
Kligerman has a best finish of 29th this year, coming at the season-opening Daytona 500 in February, and hasn’t finished half of the eight races he has run in 2014. Much of that was terrible luck, as miscues and crashes have cost the team.
In my opinion, this is the best chance the 23-year-old from Westport (Conn.) has to showcase his true talent in a competitive ride. Busch won at Martinsville earlier this year in the #41 car, and the Stewart-Haas organization has shown plenty of speed this year, none so more on a consistent basis than Kevin Harvick in the #4 car, who has two wins under his belt already.
Even if he doesn’t turn a single lap in the car, the experience Kligerman would get working with a high-caliber team like Stewart-Haas Racing could pay big dividends in the future.
Gilliland Cleared to Race, Allgaier Decides Not To
In other news, David Gilliland has been cleared to race in this weekend’s All-Star festivities, starting with the Sprint Showdown on Friday evening. The Showdown is a “Last Chance Qualifier” race of 40 laps that pits the drivers that are not already in the All-Star race against each other, and the top two finishers get to race Saturday night.
Gilliland, driver of the #38 Bob Jenkins Ford, was involved in a huge crash last Saturday night at Kansas Speedway.
The driver that slammed into Gilliland in that wreck was rookie Justin Allgaier, who will not race this weekend. The #51 Brandt Chevy team do not want to risk tearing up their equipment, and will be looking ahead to the Coca-Cola 600 on May 25.
We don’t often see that, but I think that’s a interesting decision. Justin Allgaier may be a little man (I mean, he can’t be taller than 5’5″) but he’s proven to be a hell of a driver. He’s been able to run near the top-10 in recent races, but wrecks have befallen him on more than one occasion (which seems to be a trend with the rookies this year).
While the rest of the field races their way into the All-Star race via the Showdown on Friday (and Danica votes her way in), Allgaier can rest easy knowing he’ll be saving money and sheet metal. Good choice, lil’ Gator!
In case I don’t get my picks in later — Kyle Larson and Clint Bowyer advance in the Showdown (Friday) and Joey Logano wins the All-Star race (Saturday).
For the latest Sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert and for rumors check Sports Rumor Alert.
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