NASCAR Xfinity: Parker Kligerman reacts to the last lap wreck with Daniel Hemric

NASCAR Xfinity Series RAPTOR 250
Austin Hill, driver of the #21 Bennett Transportation Chevrolet, drives to the finish line as Parker Kligerman, driver of the #48 Big Machine Racing Spiked Chevrolet, and spins after an on-track incident ahead of Riley Herbst, driver of the #98 Monster Energy Ford, during the NASCAR Xfinity Series RAPTOR 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 18, 2023 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

Austin Hill, Parker Kligerman, and Daniel Hemric collided exiting Turn 4, but Hill won the NASCAR Xfinity Series race in Atlanta.

Parker Kligerman could see the checkered flag a few hundred feet ahead of him. Reaching the race's finale, he was side drafting with fellow NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Austin Hill. He had enough speed that it appeared like the Connecticut native was ready to capture his first career Xfinity win on Saturday (March 18) at Atlanta Motor Speedway. However, he suddenly spun around.

Third-place finisher Daniel Hemric skidded up the track in an apparent attempt to shove the No. 48 Chevy. Instead, the No. 11's miss in judgment sent Kligerman spinning into Hill.

Kligerman was whirled around by the collision and he landed in the infield grass. The Big Machine Racing car finished in fourth position after spinning and crossing the finish line backwards.

Kligerman briefly fell to the back of the pack in the closing laps of the race after stopping for fresh tires. Generally, after being moved back to the end of the two-lane freight train on the new Atlanta surface, it takes a lot of time to reach the front.

"In this game, one inch there difference, and maybe we all go across the line first and we have our first win of the year. But we won a stage!" Kligerman said.

Kligerman left the infield care center beaming despite being so close to his long-sought first career victory. Kligerman nonetheless finished the evening with his best performance of the season and his first top-five Xfinity finish since 2013.


NASCAR Xfinity: Josh Williams Parks Car on Finish Line in Epic Breakdown

After NASCAR threw Josh Williams out of Saturday's race due to a three-car incident, the driver replied in a fairly nasty manner.

During lap 28 of the Raptor 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race, Williams was involved in a three-car crash. Although his mechanics taped up the damage to his car, the race was restarted on lap 32 owing to debris flying from Williams' car.

As a result, officials forced him to withdraw from the race, which visibly irritated the NASCAR Xfinity driver. Williams chose to park his car at the start/finish line, exit, and go quietly into the garage.

Williams officially earned a DNF and finished 32nd out of 38 cars at Atlanta Motor Speedway. It's unknown what penalty, if any, will be imposed on the DGM Racing driver as a result of his outburst on Saturday.

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