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NASCAR on NBC personality and part-time Camping World Truck Series driver Parker Kligerman will compete in the Coca-Cola 600 Monster Energy Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., on May 27. He’ll drive a No. 96 Toyota for part-time Cup Series team Gaunt Brothers Racing.
“We’re pleased to have Parker join GBR for the 600,” Gaunt Brothers Racing owner Marty Gaunt said in a press release from the race team. “He has experience at 1.5-mile tracks, as well as within all of NASCAR’s national touring series, which helps us grow our program. Our growth, to date, has been positive and consistent. Having multiple drivers pilot our car allows us the ability to evaluate our program’s strengths and weaknesses.”
The Coca-Cola 600 will be GBR’s fifth NASCAR premier series race of 2018 and sixth overall in the team’s history. To this point, D.J. Kennington has driven for the team in all its NASCAR top series attempts. Kennington drove the No. 96 to a best finish of 20th at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama on April 29.
“I’m looking forward to driving in the sport’s longest event,” Kligerman said in the GBR press release. “It will certainly be challenging, but I’m confident in the team’s plans for the Charlotte race weekend.”
All three of Kligerman’s national-level NASCAR starts in 2018, so far, have come in the Truck Series for team owner Charlie Henderson. His best finish so far this year was an 11th at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March. He has two-career wins in the series, both at Talladega, most recently in 2017.
“I’ve known Marty a long time and have a tremendous amount of respect for his passion and professionalism,” Kligerman said. “I want to help him take GBR to the next level. I’m appreciative of the opportunity and am thrilled someone with his stature recognized and rewarded my effort last year in Trucks.”
Kligerman last raced at the NASCAR Cup Series level in 2014, running eight races that season for the now-defunct Swan Racing. In all, Kligerman’s racing resume includes 10 Cup Series races, all for Swan Racing, between 2013 and 2014 with a best finish of 18th in his series debut at Texas Motor Speedway.
