Parker Kligerman has spent the last decade doing what almost nobody in NASCAR manages. He raced on weekends and reported on those same races for NBC. He swapped fire suits for headsets, pit boxes for broadcast booths, and somehow kept both careers running. Something had to give eventually.
On a recent episode of Money Lap, the podcast he co-hosts with fellow driver Landon Cassill, Kligerman made a significant announcement.
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“For the first time since 2014, since I joined NBC Sports, I’m no longer a part of their coverage,” Kligerman said. “My time has become just something I’ve had to be very careful with. And so it just didn’t quite make sense.”
Eleven years of pit road reporting, studio analysis, and live race coverage, gone in one casual podcast mention. His O’Reilly Auto Parts Series broadcast schedule on The CW expanded this year. Other commitments stacked up but NBC coverage did not make the cut.
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Kligerman joined NBC in 2014 at just 24 years old, one of the youngest pit reporters in the modern era. He was actively racing in the Truck and Xfinity Series at the same time. When a crew chief called for a track bar adjustment mid-race, Kligerman explained it from experience. That was his edge over everyone else on pit road.
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His time on pit road gave out some of NASCAR’s most memorable broadcast moments. He was holding the mic when Martin Truex publicly called out Joey Logano after a clash at Martinsville. The interview went live over the stadium PA. The crowd reaction, he said, was electric.
He was also there for Denny Hamlin’s now-famous “Joe Logano” slip, a moment that spread across the internet instantly. Then there was Kevin Harvick at the Roval. Harvick had just hit the barrier following his on-track feud with Chase Elliott. Kligerman tracked him to the infield care center and refused to let him dodge the question.
“I think this guy’s gonna take the mic and beat me over the head with it,” Kligerman said. “He was nice about it, but he gave me that look like, ‘Parker, you better stop.'”
And then, of course, “the ground is wet.” A memory the NASCAR broadcast world has not forgotten.
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Kligerman is not disappearing from the sport of NASCAR. He still calls O’Reilly Series races from the booth on The CW. He races part-time in the Truck Series, most recently with Kaulig Racing and Spire Motorsports. The Money Lap podcast keeps growing.
His NBC seat, for now, goes to Trevor Bayne. Kligerman said so himself. “I think Trevor Bayne is now part of the broadcast in kind of the capacity I was in,” he said. “He’s done an awesome job on Amazon. I know he’ll fit in seamlessly.”
The TNT exit is a separate story. The network restructured its studio lineup for Year 2 of its NASCAR broadcast deal and brought in seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson. Kligerman stepped away from that desk too, along with pit reporter Alan Cavanna. Jimmie Johnson’s championship pedigree and active role as a Cup team co-owner gave TNT something different, a Hall of Fame voice paired with current garage access.
Two networks. One year. For someone who built his name by doing more than anyone else at once, the calendar finally ran out of room.
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The post “Time Has Become Something I Have to Be Careful With”– NASCAR Reporter Announces TV Exit After 11 Year Broadcast Run appeared first on EssentiallySports. Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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