Parker Kligerman won the 2009 Click It or Ticket Buckle-Up Kentucky 150 ARCA race with a last lap, last corner pass. He battled for ten laps with then fellow rookie Grant Enfinger all the way to the checkers.
On Thursday at Kentucky Kligerman ended up finishing runner up to Kyle Busch in the UNOH 225 at Kentucky Speedway. The 20-year-old said Busch’s romp from 43rd (he started last because he missed the Camping World Truck Series drivers’ meeting) reminded him of his days in ARCA.
“You get in a rhythm, you get in a flow,” he said. “I did it in ARCA. If you start in 43rd and pass five cars a lap in five laps you look up and you’re in third.”
So what could he recall from that hot July night in 2009?
“Actually, I don’t remember a whole lot,” he said, laughing. “I tried to take notes and look at my notes, but I was a rookie at taking notes so I didn’t get much out of it.”
Luckily, his owner Brad Keselowski, participated in the Goodyear tire test on June 1st and gave some notes to Kligerman on how the tires would wear at Kentucky. Kligerman used the three practice sessions the truck series got to improve his truck for the race. “We methodically moved up throughout the race,” Kligerman said. “Fortunately we had a top five car by the end of practice.”
For a kid ARCA Series legend Frank Kimmel said was Kligerman was the “real deal” in July of 2009, I’d say Kligerman has a lot more winning left in him.
“He’s going to go straight to the top,” Kimmel said in July of 2009. “He doesn’t make mistakes that a lot of the guys you just mentioned made at his age. He’s a very smart, a very talented young man.”
When you’re battling Kyle Busch it’s tough to win, but he held his own, and had a great points day at Kentucky. The Camping World Truck Series next races on Saturday at Iowa at 8 p.m. on SPEED Channel.
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