Parker Kligerman is out of Thursday night's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway but will call the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race Friday.
BRISTOL, Tenn. — Parker Kligerman is out of Thursday night's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Kligerman confirmed the news Thursday morning ahead of practice, qualifying and racing in the UNOH 200. Nick Sanchez will replace him in Henderson Motorsports' No. 75 Chevrolet Silverado for the race.
Kligerman explained on social media that he was "pretty sick" last week. His recovery has been slower than he expected, leading to some lingering effects and feeling better but "not quite race ready" for Thursday night.
"Little update: I won’t be racing tonight at Bristol in the 75. As some of you know, I got pretty sick last week & recovery has been slower than I hoped with a few lingering effects. I’m feeling better every day but not quite race ready, and having the broadcast tomorrow as well, it was best to sit this one out," Kligerman said. "Nick Sanchez will drive the 75 and I know he’ll do an awesome job. Much love to the Hendersons & the whole team, and hopefully we will be back on track for a couple more this year
Kligerman will still call the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race Friday night in the booth for the CW.
Thursday was set to be Kligerman's fifth NCTS start of the 2026 season, all with Henderson Motorsports. He first started racing with the team in 2017, with five top-10 finishes in seven starts that season – including a win at Talladega Superspeedway. They won again in 2022 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Altogether, the pairing has earned two wins, 10 top-five finishes and 26 top-10 finishes in 68 starts – spanning nine of the last 10 seasons in the series.
Kligerman has yet to make a start in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series this season after being a super sub, himself, last season. He wheeled Connor Zilisch's No. 88 JR Motorsports to the win at Daytona International Speedway in August, unofficially grabbing his first NOAPS win, even though it was credited to Zilisch who started the race for points.
Kligerman raced NOAPS full-time most recently in 2023 and 2024. He finished 10th in the points standings each year before Big Machine Racing moved on to another driver for its No. 48 Chevrolet in 2025.
Coincidentally, that driver was Nick Sanchez. He won at EchoPark Speedway Atlanta in July of 2025 and made the Chase for Big Machine Racing – before Big Machine Racing moved on from him at the end of that season.
Sanchez has fought to keep himself afloat in 2026. Following AM Racing shutting down after seven NOAPS races, Peterson Racing Group picked him up at Pocono Raceway to evaluate the No. 87 car's performance compared to full-time driver Austin Green.
Eventually, Peterson went with Sanchez for the No. 87 car, selecting him as their driver for the last seven races. His best finish is sixth at Iowa Speedway in August.
Sanchez will make his second NCTS start of 2026 on Thursday. His first start, with Spire Motorsports' No. 77 truck, saw him finish fifth at Indianapolis Raceway Park.
