After completing his final NASCAR Xfinity season with a P10-place, with five top-5 and 15 top-10 finishes, Parker Kligerman is getting ready for appearances in other races, including the season opener for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Challenge and the 2025 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.
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On December 17, 2024, Big Machine Racing teamed up with Forte Racing to field the #78 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 for the 34-year-old driver. To prepare for the event, scheduled for January 25 and 26 at Daytona International Speedway, Kligerman recently got his first drive in the Huracan GT3.
He took part in a private test at Daytona International Speedway, after which he shared a post and a selfie from the track, reflecting on his initial impressions of the high-performance race car, saying:
“Just finishing Day 1 in an @IMSA GT3 @Lamborghini in the books. Learned a ton, was on pace pretty quickly and went real fast in the night time One of the coolest days in my racing life. Thanks @SpikedCoolers & @ForteRacing.”
Just finishing Day 1 in an @IMSA GT3 @Lamborghini in the books. Learned a ton, was on pace pretty quickly and went real fast in the night time
One of the coolest days in my racing life. Thanks @SpikedCoolers & @ForteRacing pic.twitter.com/2FAj7fO6tB
— Parker Kligerman (@pkligerman) December 18, 2024
But that’s not it. Kligerman will have ample opportunity to be well-acquainted with the Huracan before the main event. In addition to his initial test at Daytona, he will also participate in the three-day ROAR Before the 24-test weekend and three practice sessions during the actual race weekend.
Kligerman’s dream to compete in the Rolex 24 has been a long-standing one
For several years, Parker has been eager to participate in the prestigious race. He first expressed this aspiration to race in Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona during a 2017 appearance on the Dinner With Racers podcast, where he discussed his proactive efforts to secure an FIA driver rating.
He was awarded a Gold rating, which initially made securing a ride challenging due to a regulation that limits the number of Pro-level drivers in a GTD car.
This year, however, his dream turned into reality. Upon announcing his participation, Kligerman couldn’t hide his excitement:
“I’ve dreamed of competing in this race my whole life, and I can’t thank Scott and Big Machine Spiked Coolers enough for making this happen. Forte Racing is a top-tier organization that’s always at the front in IMSA competition. I’m excited to get up to speed in the coming weeks and do my part to help us race for the win—and, of course, a Rolex.”
In the past two seasons, he drove the #48 Chevrolet, making 66 starts and finishing 13 races in the top-5 and 33 in the top-10. It would be interesting to see how he performs in his dream race though.
