For Parker Kligerman, being an NBC Sports pit reporter for Saturday’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race at Lime Rock Park will have special meaning.
And it’s not just because it’s where the Connecticut native saw, drove and won in a race car for the first time in his life.
A few months ago, Kligerman, 30, became a minority investor at the venerable road course, which was built in 1956.
“It was a really cool opportunity with amazing people involved,” Kligerman said on a recent episode of the NASCAR on NBC Podcast. “I saw the plans of what they wanted to do, and it got the wheels turning that, ‘Oh yeah, this is something that’s important to Connecticut and important to motorsports.’ It’s one of the most historic racetracks in America.
“What an amazing thing to be part of, and the idea of being part of this group that loves motorsports and is trying to set motorsports up for the future and the next couple of decades in Connecticut, it’s cool. I’m learning a lot from all the people involved. We’re working on really, really cool things. Over the next three to four years, you’ll see amazing improvements and additions to lime rock. Hopefully one of those involves something very near and dear to my heart. So we’ll see if we can make it happen.”
Though Kligerman, declined to reveal further details yet, he did explain his role is mostly as an advisor to the other Lime Rock investors.
“I’m easily the youngest involved and most connected to NASCAR,” Kligerman said. “You can delineate my connection and role in that sense. I’ve been active in trying to bring opportunities to the partnership, a couple of different projects to bring more fanfare and recognition and get more people excited about Lime Rock.”
Kligerman. who jokes that “I own basically a blade of grass somewhere” on the Lime Rock property, has been attending races at the Lakeville, Connecticut, facility for more than 20 years.
One of his favorite memories from the seven-turn, 1.474-mile track was a battle during the 2018 IMSA race between a Ford and Porsche with “two million-dollar race cars hitting each other.
“The IMSA GT guys love going because it is a bullring, a tight road course that in a lot of ways is high speed,” he said. “They all love going there for no-holds-barred contact. It’s their version of Bristol (Motor Speedway) for the IMSA sports cars.
“It’s one of the most beautiful places to just hang out and watch race cars.”
The Northeast Grand Prix, which will feature the GTD and GTLM classes, will be Saturday at 3 p.m. ET and broadcast live on NBC Sports digital platforms (TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold, NBCSports.com) with Dave Burns, Calvin Fish, Kevin Lee and Kligerman on the call. An encore presentation will air at 5:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN immediately after the Xfinity Series race.
You can listen to the episode of the NASCAR on NBC Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you download podcasts.
Ownership role gives Parker Kligerman a new perspective on his beloved Lime Rock Park originally appeared on NBCSports.com