Parker Kligerman on track at
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Photo credit: Eric Schwarzkopf (ImageWorks)
For more information contact:
Monica Hilton
monica@242mph.com 608.669.3211
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Parker Kligerman Turns
Heads
During Impressive Test at IMS
Indianapolis, IN - September 16, 2014 - Parker Kligerman completed two
successful test days and earned a P2 spot on the scoring charts in an Indy
Lights car for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports during the Mazda Road to Indy "Chris
Griffis Memorial Test" on Saturday and Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway.
Although not a
stranger to the world of open-wheel racing, Kligerman was calculated and
cautious during the initial test session, so as to learn as much as he could
and get familiar with the car, setup and track.
Throughout the
second, third and fourth test sessions, the 24-year-old, Westport, Connecticut
native continually improved his time, eventually earning a best time of
1:20.5187. The time was only 0.35 seconds off the pace of Spencer Pigot, the
2014 Pro Mazda Series champion.
"Overall, I'm
really happy with the results and had such a great time," said Kligerman. "I
was able to get within three-tenths of last year's Star Mazda champion, and the
guy that has lead every session, so that's really awesome.
"I'm just really
happy with how the test went. I really got to hustle the car in that last
session, and was able to just take it by the neck and go out there to find some
speed. That's what you have to do in these cars.
"I just want to
say thank you to Sam Schmidt and the Schmidt Peterson Motorsports team, in
addition to my PK Racing team, Lucas Oil, Bell Helmets and everyone that has
made this possible."
Kligerman added,
"I sat in the car before this last run when we put on new tires - it was the
'go' run - and we were going to have five laps to set the fastest time I was
going to get to in this car. I just had to smile because I realized I was at
the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in an open-wheel car about to go take a lap
that could be the figurative pole. So that was just an awesome moment and
something I'll relish forever. Hopefully I'll get a chance to do this again
because I think we were really fast and we proved that we can do it."
Schmidt Peterson
Motorsports team owner Sam Schmidt commented, "Parker was very impressive in
the test. Given that he had not been in an open-wheel car for some time, nor is
he a regular on road courses, I'd say he out-performed all expectations. He
didn't put a wheel wrong over the two days of testing and did everything that
was asked of him. We are convinced he could be successful in open-wheel racing
should he decide to come back full time."
Following the
success that Kligerman has achieved so far in a variety of motorsports
disciplines, the Indy Lights test will allow him to use his open-wheel racing
experience to explore new opportunities for the next phase of his racing
career.
The future is
bright for Kligerman as he continues to work on his plan for the 2015 racing
season. In the meantime, his schedule is filled with appearances on NBC Sports
Network as an analyst for NASCAR America, in addition to being a regular
contributor for Jalopnik.com, hosting his weekly podcast (Kickin' it with Kligerman) and running the company that he
co-founded, Nootelligence.
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About PK Racing
Founded in 2007,
Parker Racing LLC was created to further the career of Parker Kligerman in the
world of professional motorsports. Run by a small team of family members and
managed by Bob Perona, PK Racing has helped Parker successfully earn an
impressive track record in multiple racing disciplines, in addition to a spot
in the top rung of the NASCAR ladder, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. About Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
Schmidt Peterson Motorsports (SPM) was
established in 2001 and is owned by former IndyCar driver Sam Schmidt and
businessman Ric Peterson. Schmidt was paralyzed (quad) in 2000 after an
accident during testing at Walt Disney World Speedway in Orlando, Fla. SPM
fields cars in the Verizon IndyCar Series, the Indianapolis 500, and Firestone
Indy Lights. SPM is the most successful team in Firestone Indy Lights history
with seven championships. In addition, SPM has qualified 17 cars in the
Indianapolis 500 since 2001 and, in 2011, won the coveted Indy 500 pole. SPM
also fields the #77 entry driven by Simon Pagenaud, the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series
Rookie of the Year who finished third in the 2013
IndyCar Series Championship. |
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Topics: Parker Kligerman, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
