Parker Kligerman of Henderson Motorsports in the Craftsman Truck Series coursed to victory lane on Feb. 14 for the Fresh from Florida 250. With pride in his eyes and grandeur in his heart, he excitedly climbed out of the Henderson Chevy Silverado, ready to accept his win. It was a hard-fought battle with Tricon’s No. 11 Corey Heim and Ben Rhodes No. 99 for ThorSport Racing.
As Kligerman stood atop the podium to be awarded the trophy, solidifying his win, he thanked his team and fans for their support. However, the excitement would be short-lived after a NASCAR review panel raised suspicion that the rear of his No. 75 was too low.
Kligerman was subsequently disqualified, and his win was stripped. Henderson Motorsports has since fired back about NASCAR’s decision by pledging to appeal it. “We’ve decided to appeal the disqualification of our #75 Truck from yesterday evening’s NCTS Race at Daytona.”
Nonetheless, as of Thursday, Feb. 20, a three-member appeals panel denied the appeal despite efforts to overturn it. The move has discouraged Henderson Motorsports and Parker Kligerman. Both have openly taken to social media to explain their disdain for the decision.
Parker Kligerman Candidly Speaks Out
After a NASCAR panel egregiously disqualified Craftsman Truck driver Parker Kligerman, he’s spoken out on X. “Thank you all for the support,” he tweeted. “This has been one of the hardest weeks of my life,” “I worked 24/7 on the appeal since Saturday night,” he continued.
He explained that the truck raced and won legally, and he remains baffled by the decision to disqualify. Kligerman likened the mishap to an “unfortunate circumstance” with tech and mismeasurement of height. “Due to an unfortunate circumstance in tech, the truck was measured at an improper height, which made the rear low by 1/8 on the LR and 1/4 inch on the RR,” he said of the disqualification.
He capped off the tweet by saying he would discuss the matter on his podcast “The Money Lap,” which he co-hosts with fellow racer Landon Cassill. Henderson Motorsports also tweeted about Kligerman’s Daytona disqualification and appeal.
“Unfortunately, we have lost our appeal regarding our disqualification from last week’s race in Daytona,” Henderson Motorsports tweeted on X.
Why the Disqualification Stuck
A three-member appeals panel featuring Bill Mullis, Tommy Wheeler, and Kevin Whitaker recently denied NCTS driver Parker Kligerman’s disqualification appeal. A post-race inspection revealed that No. 75 violated rule 10.5.2.4 pursuant to section 14.17.3.2.2.2.A in the NASCAR Rule Book. This means that the Henderson Motorsports Chevy measured too low in the rear. Tricon Garage No. 11 Corey Heim was declared the Feb. 14 Fresh from Florida 250 winner.
Henderson Motorsports was confident they had a valid appeal. Yet, that wasn’t enough to stop the appeals panel from upholding the disqualification. The National Motorsports Appeals panel explained, “The panel confirms it is more likely than not a rules violation did occur and the disqualification penalties in Rule 10.5.2.4 necessitate a race disqualification.
“This marks the final decision, meaning no future appeals can be made on behalf of Parker Kligerman or Henderson Motorsports. Though neither Kligerman nor HMS is pleased with the decision, they humbly accept it. “While we feel that we had a very strong case, we respect the panel’s decision.” “We’d again like to thank all the fans for their support,” “We’ve shown that we can compete, and we’ll be back,” “See you all in Bristol!”
Final Thoughts
Though Parker Kligerman and HMS have seemed to hit a bump in the road regarding the controversial disqualification at the Fresh from Florida 250, the road ahead looks bright. Kligerman and his team know this was just a hiccup and that more caution should be exercised regarding height requirements.
Seeing such a well-deserved driver and team succumb to a seemingly unfair decision was disheartening, but perhaps the next race will be different. Tune in on April 19 to the NCTS as Kligerman and Henderson Motorsports take on the Weather Guard Truck Race at Bristol Motorspeedway. Can they recover, and will it be the answer to their prayers?
