Dale Earnhardt Jr. reveals why JRM chose Parker Kligerman to replace Connor Zilisch at Daytona

Parker Kligerman steps in for Connor Zilisch at Daytona UPDATE

Dale Earnhardt Jr has revealed why JR Motorsports chose Parker Kligerman to stand in for Connor Zilisch in the NASCAR Xfinity Wawa 250 at Daytona International Speedway. Update: Kligerman, in a close finish, won the Xfinity Wawa 250 after racing from last to first.

Zilisch suffered a broken collarbone after his celebrations at Watkins Glen almost two weeks ago took a nasty turn. As the 19-year-old climbed out of his car in victory lane, he slipped and fell to the ground. After being treated by the on-site safety crew, he was transported to a local hospital, where he underwent CT scans. While the scans of Zilisch's head were clear, doctors confirmed the injury.

After two weeks and surgery to have a plate fitted to aid his recovery, JR Motorsports confirmed that Zilisch would take part in the Wawa 250 at Daytona but that Parker Kligerman would be on standby should he be needed. As it turned out, Zilisch started the Xfinity race from pole position but took the opportunity to exit the car under an early caution for wet weather, leaving Kligerman to take the seat for the remainder of the race.

"Well, they’re about the same size, trying to get somebody in and out of the car and get them in there comfortably is important, and Parker all but won the Truck race here earlier this year," Earnhardt explained to The CW Sports when asked why the team chose Kligerman.

"And so we have a working relationship that you’re well aware of. He’s a great guy, a good friend. And I felt that he would be excited to do it, and really there’s not too much else thought put into it."

Earnhardt confirmed that the team never considered having Zilisch complete the race at Daytona in order to preserve the longevity of his career.

"We wanted to give Connor the opportunity to get in the car and start, and hoping he was gonna be well enough to do that, but we were never considering him doing any more than that," he added. "And so we needed somebody and Parker was excited.

Connor Zilisch and Parker Kligerman, JR Motorsports Chevrolet

Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images

"He had a trip to Italy that I think his better half was worried about it might disrupt his trip that he planned, but everything worked out really good, so I’m very thankful for him. He’s a great guy, great sport, and he’s coming here with a great attitude."

He continued: "[Zilisch is] awesome. It’s kind of strange to be honest with you because he’s so mature for his age. And you kinda gotta hold him back a little bit in these types of situations.

"We want to race for a championship, but we can’t risk the next two decades of what he could possibly do behind the wheel of a race car. That’s not worth it. So we will do whatever we need to do to make sure that we hand him off to his next opportunity in a good place and ready to go and rock.

"He’s already exceeded expectations this year for us and helped us have a really exciting, awesome year. But we’ll see what we can do the rest of the season. We just wanted to make all the right decisions that were good for his career long term and try to make sure that he understands how to prioritise today versus the next 20 years."