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Kligerman's Playoff Hopes End 5 Feet from Victory at Charlotte's Roval

nascar xfinity drive for the cure 250 presented by bcbs
Kligerman Comes Up Just Short in Xfinity PlayoffsJared C. Tilton - Getty Images

Parker Kligerman came within five feet of pulling off the biggest upset of the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoffs in Saturday’s Drive for the Cure 250 on Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Roval.

Kligerman entered Saturday’s cutoff race 12thin the standings, 16 points below the cutline with his only hope of advancing to the Round of 8 being a victory. With two laps remaining, he led Sam Mayer by less than a second. However, Mayer also needed a victory as he had entered the cutoff race 13 points below the cutline. With Kligerman desperately fighting to stay ahead of Mayer, Leland Honeyman stuffed his Chevrolet into a tire barrier.

Initially, it appeared Kligerman had received the white flag before the caution came out, but a review of NASCAR’s electronic data showed the yellow lights came on when Kligerman was within five feet of the start-finish line. That sent the race into overtime and provided Mayer with another opportunity to secure the victory he desperately needed. When the race restarted, Mayer divebombed Kligerman in the new hairpin turn (turn 7) on the reconfigured course and held on to take a 1.474-second victory over A.J. Allmendinger, who previously was undefeated in Xfinity Series races on the Roval.

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Kligerman said he almost teared up when he thought he had the victory.

“Then I had to refocus,” Kligerman said. “I thought I cut off turn seven enough, but he somehow dropped below me and then it was on there. We got damage. It was full contact. Sam didn’t do anything egregious. It was hard racing.”

nascar xfinity drive for the cure 250 presented by bcbs
Sam Mayer, driver of the #1 QPS Employment Group Chevrolet, takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Xfinity Drive for the Cure 250 presented by BCBS at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 12, 2024 in Concord, North Carolina.Jared C. Tilton - Getty Images

Kligerman said he wanted to cry knowing how close he was to the line, but he didn’t.

“I really love this game,” Kligerman said. “I just really, really wanted that That would have meant the world. I was driving my heart out that last run. I don’t know how to process this. It’s going to take a while.”

When Kligerman saw a replay of his proximity to the white flag, his reaction was, “Oh, my gosh! You’re kidding?”

“I’ve loved this so much and I just wanted to get to the next round,” said Kligerman, who’s stepping away from fulltime competition at the end of the season.

Series rookie Shane Van Gisbergen, who finished third, missed advancing in the playoffs by two points. Fellow rookie Jesse Love knocked Van Gisbergen out of the playoffs with his 19th-place finish. Justin Allgaier, who was seven points below the cutline entering the event, also advanced with his seventh-place finish.

A nine-car crash on the frontstretch of the 72-lap overtime event dashed the playoff hopes of Riley Herbst and Sheldon Creed. Both entered the race above the cutline, but the damage their cars received in the accident eliminated them from the event and the playoffs. Herbst finished 32ndand Creed placed 35th in the 38-car field.

NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Results

Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course

Concord, North Carolina

Saturday, October 12, 2024

1. (2) Sam Mayer (P), Chevrolet, 72.

2. (3) AJ Allmendinger (P), Chevrolet, 72.

3. (1) Shane Van Gisbergen # (P), Chevrolet, 72.

4. (6) Austin Hill (P), Chevrolet, 72.

5. (7) Chandler Smith (P), Toyota, 72.

6. (22) Parker Kligerman (P), Chevrolet, 72.

7. (9) Justin Allgaier (P), Chevrolet, 72.

8. (4) Josh Bilicki, Toyota, 72.

9. (13) Aric Almirola (P), Toyota, 72.

10. (16) Sammy Smith (P), Chevrolet, 72.

11. (15) Brandon Jones, Chevrolet, 72.

12. (20) Parker Retzlaff, Chevrolet, 72.

13. (14) Cole Custer (P), Ford, 72.

14. (19) Alex Labbe, Chevrolet, 72.

15. (27) Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 72.

16. (11) Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, 72.

17. (25) Ryan Sieg, Ford, 72.

18. (10) Connor Mosack(i), Chevrolet, 72.

19. (8) Jesse Love # (P), Chevrolet, 72.

20. (21) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 72.

21. (29) Preston Pardus, Chevrolet, 72.

22. (26) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 72.

23. (35) Kyle Sieg, Ford, 72.

24. (37) Dawson Cram(i), Chevrolet, 72.

25. (38) Nathan Byrd, Chevrolet, 72.

26. (31) Brad Perez, Chevrolet, 72.

27. (36) Dylan Lupton, Ford, 71.

28. (33) Leland Honeyman #, Chevrolet, Accident, 65.

29. (28) Sage Karam, Chevrolet, Brakes, 63.

30. (17) Austin Green, Chevrolet, Engine, 58.

31. (30) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, 58.

32. (12) Riley Herbst (P), Ford, Driveshaft, 57.

33. (34) Blaine Perkins, Ford, 56.

34. (32) Thomas Annunziata, Toyota, Accident, 52.

35. (5) Sheldon Creed (P), Toyota, Accident, 38.

36. (23) Josh Williams, Chevrolet, Accident, 32.

37. (18) Ed Jones, Toyota, Accident, 32.

38. (24) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, Accident, 32.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 66.29 mph.

Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 28 Mins, 35 Secs. Margin of Victory: 1.474 Seconds.

Caution Flags: 7 for 20 laps.

Lead Changes: 12 among 8 drivers.

Lap Leaders: S. Van Gisbergen # (P) 1-3;A. Allmendinger (P) 4-21;S. Van Gisbergen # (P) 22;J. Bilicki 23-32;S. Mayer (P) 33-34;C. Smith (P) 35;J. Allgaier (P) 36-41;C. Mosack(i) 42-45;S. Mayer (P) 46-54;C. Mosack(i) 55;S. Van Gisbergen # (P) 56-58;P. Kligerman (P) 59-70;S. Mayer (P) 71-72.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): AJ Allmendinger (P) 1 time for 18 laps; Sam Mayer (P) 3 times for 13 laps; Parker Kligerman (P) 1 time for 12 laps; Josh Bilicki 1 time for 10 laps; Shane Van Gisbergen # (P) 3 times for 7 laps; Justin Allgaier (P) 1 time for 6 laps; Connor Mosack(i) 2 times for 5 laps; Chandler Smith (P) 1 time for 1 lap.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 16,97,7,21,2,18,88,98,19,81

Stage #2 Top Ten: 7,88,1,20,42,16,97,81,07,19