(NASCAR Ranting and Raving's NCWTS writer, Cortney Dryden, has her own site called TheNASCARNews.com and you can find the following interview there as well)
Interview: In the Driver’s Seat with NCWTS rookie Parker Kligerman
When I was at the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race in Nashville recently I had the opportunity to sit down with NCWTS Rookie of the Year contender Parker Kligerman and discuss with him about what it is like driving for Brad Keselowski Racing.
Parker Kligerman is a 20-year-old Camping World Truck Series driver with a give ‘em hell attitude. Fitting, as he races the No. 29 Penske Dodge for Brad Keselowski Racing. Though some frustrating faux pas have earned him unwanted results thus far this season, Kligerman still sits in the Top 10 in points with his sights set on the Championship.
If you thought Brad Keselowski would be any tamer as a team owner, you would be mistaken. Even in his own equipment, Keselowski promotes an aggressive driving style offering advice like, “I’m not gonna be mad if you wreck and run last and I’m not gonna be mad if you wreck and run first. But I’d prefer if you wreck and come in first. “
“He’s behind it 100%,” Kligerman said. “If it came down to it and I had to move someone to win the race, he’d be all for it. As [Brad] says, he’s an aggressive racer and he likes that style. 90% of the race I’ll do the give and take. But if it means moving someone to make the win, I’m all for it. I need wins, not friends.”
A few wrecks this season have left Kligerman second in the battle for Rookie of the Year behind Cole Whitt, but he has his eye on the Championship. “I feel like we’ve given enough away that its time to get our stride. I don’t look at the Rookie of the Year battle as much as I look at the main points. If we’re high enough in the main points we’ll win.”
When asked who his biggest competition for ROTY was, Kligerman said, “I don’t like to name names, but he knows who he is and he knows who we are.”
Kligerman is confident, and rightfully so. He is surrounded by a great team and a boss who understands the sport as well as anyone could.
“[Brad] is really introspective,” Kligerman says. “I go to him before every race to talk about the track, what the trucks are doing, and what he’s found racing here before. It’s an interesting dynamic, but I enjoy it a lot. But it is weird to have a driver behind me, supporting me, and on my same team even though we’ve raced against each other.”
Not only does he have an experienced driver as his truck owner, but he is surrounded by them on the track. Not that he would have it any other way. Kligerman believes that NASCAR’s decision to have driver’s select a championship has shifted the spotlight to Truck and Nationwide regulars while still giving the rookies a point of comparison.
“It was exactly what needed to be done. I said from the start that there needs to be a way to have the Cup guys race so we have a way to compare ourselves to the benchmark of this time. If this [series] didn’t have Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, or Elliot Sadler, then this would be ARCA. Even a lot of success in ARCA isn’t looked at as highly as when you come into a NASCAR Series because of the people you’re racing against. But the highlight at the end of the year will be on the Truck or Nationwide regulars, which is what we all want.”
Kligerman’s future includes several upcoming appearances in the Nationwide Series for Penske Racing. “We’re working on some things with the No. 42 team I ran with last year. I think one of the first races we’ll be in is the July Daytona race or at Road America. Road races are my background. We ran Montreal last year and finished 8th.“
Kligerman’s next race is the Lucas Oil 200 this Friday night at Dover International Speedway. It will be his first time racing on the Monster Mile.
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