Parker Kligerman will not be returning to Big Machine Racing in 2025, confirming Thursday first on The Money Lap podcast, and then in a subsequent social media statement that he will be retiring from full-time competition in NASCAR’s National Series.
The 34-year-old driver is currently in his second season of full-time competition for Big Machine Racing, owned by Scott Borchetta, where he pilots the No. 48 Big Machine Spiked Coolers Chevrolet Camaro.
— Parker Kligerman (@pkligerman) September 12, 2024
“I will not be returning to Big Machine Racing next year,” Kligerman said on the podcast. “Not only that, but this will be my last year as a full-time racecar driver in a NASCAR series, and in general being a racecar driver. I’m no longer pursuing full-time rides.”
Kligerman is a veteran of 260 NASCAR National Series starts, having made appearances in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series throughout a career that has spanned a decade and a half.
The Westport, Connecticut native explained the decision in more detail on his podcast, which was released Thursday, September 12, hours before his statement was publicly released on social media.
“I won’t lie, it’s definitely not a small decision, it didn’t happen overnight, there were a lot of months deliberating about it and then going down one path and then another and going back and forth,” Kligerman said.
The long-time NASCAR driver and television personality explains a seminal moment of sorts, where while going for a run overlooking San Francisco in June, the driver had this moment of ‘Hmm, I think I’m good,” thinking he wanted to finish out the season and then see what opportunity lies ahead.
“I think to be entirely transparent, for me, it’s obviously been a very unique journey in terms of being full-time, and then a lot of part-time racing and then working TV and then back to full-time,” said Kligerman.”I think in the back of my head I kind of felt like I want to try and get to the top, get to the Cup Series, that’s the eventual goal and it just started to become very apparent that through many reasons that was not an opportunity that was going present itself.”
At least for the time being, Kligerman is focused on fighting for the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship with Big Machine Racing. Although the team isn’t locked into the post-season, with two regular-season events remaining, his points advantage suggests there is a solid chance the No. 48 will advance.
So, once the checkered flag flies in Phoenix, what’s the next step for Kligerman?
“I think I’m ready for the next chapter, I don’t know exactly what that is, but right now, I think there are a lot of people who assume there are a lot of opportunities on the TV side and I’m sure that will be something I pursue and want to be a part of, I don’t know to what capacity, and that sort of thing and I’m not really pressuring myself to sort of figure that out.”
Though, when it comes to driving racecars, Kligerman isn’t quitting cold turkey, and says he’d love to compete in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series some more, especially in next season’s inaugural event at Lime Rock Park.
“I do want to explore the motorsports world, I have such an interest as many who listen to this podcast know in so many different types of motorsports, it’s such a diverse sport it comes in so many shapes and forms and sizes and sounds and smells, and it’s so different the world over, and I’d love to explore that, so I think that’s on my mind, but as I said I don’t know exactly what the next chapter looks like.”
