Parker Kligerman wins at Daytona, Connor Zilisch to get the points

NASCAR Xfinity Series Wawa 250 Powered By Coca-Cola - Source: Getty
In Picture: Parker Kligerman - Source: Getty

Parker Kligerman claimed the 2025 Wawa 250 Powered By Coca-Cola at the Daytona International Speedway victory in overtime to give Connor Zilisch his seventh Xfinity Series race win. Kligerman was filling in for Zilisch and was driving the #88 JR Motorsports car.

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Kligerman emerged victorious as the relief driver for Zilisch held on his nerves, and crossed the Checkered Flag ahead of JR Motorsports driver, Justin Allgaier. Even though Kligerman won the race, he will not receive the points, as Zilisch started the race, but later hopped out of his car.

Zilisch, who already has six wins to his name, will add one more to his name, and extend his lead in the NASCAR Xfinity Series regular season championship. However, he will receive no playoff points. Kligerman, on the other hand, will enjoy the victory, but not add anything to his Xfinity Series statistics.

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Following Kligerman's victory, Zilisch ran to him on the victory road and congratulated him. Sammy Smith, Sam Mayer, and Jesse Love came home in the top five places, while Brandon Jones, Dean Thompson, Brennan Poole, Garett Smithley, and Ryan Ellis wrapped up the top 10.

Kligerman's victory comes after the Xfinity Series field experienced a heavy wreck in Lap 97, where multiple drivers were involved. However, Kligerman survived and ended up winning the race at the Daytona International Speedway.

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Why did Parker Kligerman replace Connor Zilisch mid-race?

During Friday's Xfinity Series race at the Daytona International Speedway, Parker Kligerman replaced Connor Zilisch mid-way through the race. This has come after Zilisch, who has yet to recover fully from his recent broken collarbone injury, decided to opt out of the race during Stage 1, and was replaced by Kligerman, who was on standby for the relief driver duty.

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Sharing an update on this, NASCAR journalist, Joseph Srigley shared a social media post. Taking to his X account, here's what he wrote:

"@ConnorZilisch, still on the mend from a broken collarbone, has hopped out of the No. 88 @JRMotorsports Chevrolet, making way for relief driver Parker Kligerman. Kligerman remains on the lead-lap and will have to drop to the rear for this restart."
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Connor Zilisch suffered a broken collarbone after he fell off his car while celebrating after he won at Watkins Glen on August 9. He recently had surgery and is still on the mend.

Get the latest NASCAR All-Star race news, Xfinity Series updates, breaking news, rumors, and today’s top stories with the latest news on NASCAR.

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Edited by Sabyasachi Biswas
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