The world of motorsports can be cruel with expectations and results sometimes represented by the smallest of achievements or failures. Financial funding and support also plays a huge roll. Maybe some or all-of-above could be the circumstances at Brad Keselowski Racing (BKR) when the Camping World Truck team released young up-and-coming driver Parker Kligerman from the #29 Dodge.
There are a variety of reasons personnel changes are made in racing, whether it's chemistry between team members, performances on the track or off, financial situations - any sundry of rationale can be involved with the comings and goings of staff, especially when considering the driver.
What is unusual about Kligerman's situation with BKR is that Kligerman is currently sixth in the Truck point standings and just 35 points back of first, halfway through the season. The Truck series is very close competition-wise this season.
Out of Nationwide too
For Kligerman, this loss of a ride comes just a few weeks after being let go at Penske Racing as a part-time driver for their #22 Dodge Charger in the Nationwide series - ironically driving several races in the car when Keselowski's Cup schedule kept him out.
Kligerman had been with BKR full-time for the last two years, finishing 11th in the Truck standings last year with four top fives including two runner-ups. He's never won in NASCAR but when he was a teenager, he was runner-up (by only five points) in the 21-race ARCA championship in '09 with an impressive nine victories and an incredible top five for two-thirds of the events. But that potential has never really materialized in NASCAR since being with Penske Racing's driver development program.
Kligerman started like most kids do with karts when he was a young teenager (source - Parker Kligerman). At first, it looked like he would go the open wheel route, driving and winning in the Skip Barber series. At 16, he moved to USAC and drove midgets before shifting over to stock cars and the ARCA series.
No money?
Why Kligerman was let go from BKR is not clearly known but with Dodge leaving NASCAR at the end of the year and Kligerman being a developmental driver, there probably was some support coming from somewhere that isn't there anymore.
In the meantime, Kligerman is looking for another ride in Trucks to continue his battle for the Truck title.
Kligerman has a lot of time to figure out what and where he'll be in NASCAR for the future. The Connecticut native just turned 22 today.
Sources - NASCAR, BKR
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Daryle has been involved in motorsports most of his life and has three decades of experience inside racemarketing, plus for several years has blogged about every type of racing.
