Kligerman Places 12th at Dover International Speedway
June 2, 2012
DOVER, Del. (June 2, 2012) – Parker Kligerman, driver of the No. 22 Snap-on Dodge Challenger in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS), finished 12th in the 5-Hour Energy 200 at Dover International Speedway on Saturday afternoon. After losing a lap early in the event, Kligerman and the team fought hard to stay in position for a “Lucky Dog” award, but could not get the breaks needed to finish the race on the lead lap.
Kligerman began the 200-lap race from the 12th position after posting a lap of 23.501 seconds, or 153.585 miles per hour, during the Saturday morning time trials. As the race began, Kligerman radioed that his Snap-on Dodge was loose getting into the corners, but he felt as though the track would tighten as the race progressed and rubber began to cover the racetrack. However, the track continued to loosen up and Kligerman began to lose time to the race leaders. A lap 40 competition caution gave crew chief Jeremy Bullins an opportunity to adjust the car to Kligerman’s liking. He called for air pressure adjustments in the new Goodyear radials before sending Kligerman back out on the racing surface in the ninth position.
When the race resumed, it was evident that Kligerman was still dealing with a loose-handling condition around the “Monster Mile.” At lap 105, he lost a lap to the race leaders as Bullins began to work on a plan to tighten up the Snap-on Dodge. Needing a yellow-flag pit stop to make the necessary changes, the race settled into a long green-flag run and Kligerman was forced to enter pit road under the green flag at lap 118. The Snap-on pit crew made a left-side wedge adjustment, while changing four tires and filling the car with fuel, and Kligerman returned to the track in the 12th position.
As the field attempted to complete the round of pit stops, the fourth caution flag of the day flew at lap 124. Bullins instructed Kligerman to stay on the racing surface to race for the “Lucky Dog” award. Hoping the heat cycle would tighten the handling condition, Kligerman set his sights on returning to the lead lap. However, he could not get his No. 22 Dodge to hookup to the racing surface over the remaining laps as he crossed the finish line in the 12th position.
Penske Racing teammate Sam Hornish Jr. finished 13th in the 5-Hour Energy 200 on Saturday afternoon.
Following Saturday’s result, the No. 22 team is now ranked seventh in the NNS owner point standings.
“It was an OK day for the No. 22 Snap-on Dodge,” said Kligerman. “We were great in practice and race day was completely different conditions. We didn’t qualify like we needed to and that hurt us a bit. We had a good plan for the racecar but the track went a different way than we thought. It loosened up more than we thought. It got looser and looser all day and we just couldn’t get ahead of it. Jeremy (Bullins, crew chief) and the guys never gave up. We raced to a 12th-place finish but really think that we had a top-10 car.”
The No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge team will next compete at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday, June 16, with driver Brad Keselowski, in the Alliance Truck Parts 250. Coverage will air live beginning at 3:30 pm EST on the ABC network. The race will also be broadcast on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 90.
Kligerman began the 200-lap race from the 12th position after posting a lap of 23.501 seconds, or 153.585 miles per hour, during the Saturday morning time trials. As the race began, Kligerman radioed that his Snap-on Dodge was loose getting into the corners, but he felt as though the track would tighten as the race progressed and rubber began to cover the racetrack. However, the track continued to loosen up and Kligerman began to lose time to the race leaders. A lap 40 competition caution gave crew chief Jeremy Bullins an opportunity to adjust the car to Kligerman’s liking. He called for air pressure adjustments in the new Goodyear radials before sending Kligerman back out on the racing surface in the ninth position.
When the race resumed, it was evident that Kligerman was still dealing with a loose-handling condition around the “Monster Mile.” At lap 105, he lost a lap to the race leaders as Bullins began to work on a plan to tighten up the Snap-on Dodge. Needing a yellow-flag pit stop to make the necessary changes, the race settled into a long green-flag run and Kligerman was forced to enter pit road under the green flag at lap 118. The Snap-on pit crew made a left-side wedge adjustment, while changing four tires and filling the car with fuel, and Kligerman returned to the track in the 12th position.
As the field attempted to complete the round of pit stops, the fourth caution flag of the day flew at lap 124. Bullins instructed Kligerman to stay on the racing surface to race for the “Lucky Dog” award. Hoping the heat cycle would tighten the handling condition, Kligerman set his sights on returning to the lead lap. However, he could not get his No. 22 Dodge to hookup to the racing surface over the remaining laps as he crossed the finish line in the 12th position.
Penske Racing teammate Sam Hornish Jr. finished 13th in the 5-Hour Energy 200 on Saturday afternoon.
Following Saturday’s result, the No. 22 team is now ranked seventh in the NNS owner point standings.
“It was an OK day for the No. 22 Snap-on Dodge,” said Kligerman. “We were great in practice and race day was completely different conditions. We didn’t qualify like we needed to and that hurt us a bit. We had a good plan for the racecar but the track went a different way than we thought. It loosened up more than we thought. It got looser and looser all day and we just couldn’t get ahead of it. Jeremy (Bullins, crew chief) and the guys never gave up. We raced to a 12th-place finish but really think that we had a top-10 car.”
The No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge team will next compete at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday, June 16, with driver Brad Keselowski, in the Alliance Truck Parts 250. Coverage will air live beginning at 3:30 pm EST on the ABC network. The race will also be broadcast on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 90.