Parker Kligerman looks forward, not holding a grudge over Swan Racing implosion - MotorSportsTalk

It’s bad enough Parker Kligerman had four DNFs in his first eight starts this season. In his first season as a Sprint Cup rookie, it couldn’t get much worse.

Unfortunately and unexpectedly, things did get worse – much, much worse – to the point where Kligerman won’t have to worry about whether he’ll get another DNF in Saturday’s Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway.

Kligerman is both out of a ride and a job after the implosion and shutting down of Swan Racing. Team majority owner Brandon Davis turned over control of Cole Whitt’s team to minority owner Anthony Marlowe, who in turn merged Whitt’s No. 26 Toyota team with BK Racing, expanding the latter to a three-car operation.

Davis also sold Swan’s No. 30 Toyota team to John Cohen, owner of XxxTreme Motorsports.

Virtually everything aligned with the No. 30 team, including crew chief Stephen Lane and most crew members, were part of the sale to Cohen.

But, unfortunately for Kligerman, his continuing as the driver was not part of the package.

Now, even though Kligerman, 23, will continue to receive a paycheck for the short-term as part of his existing contract with Davis, he’s also eager to find a new ride, new team and a second chance to start his rookie season all over again.

“It’s about having a team that wants to move forward, that wants to become a contender and wants to eventually win races and fight for championships,” Kligerman told SportingNews.com’s Bob Pockrass.

“At Swan Racing, that was our intention. Obviously, it all went awry. But that was the intention. Some of these teams are more about surviving than thriving, and I’m not here to survive.”

One thing Kligerman refuses to do is feel sorry for himself. The adversity he’s going through will ultimately only make him stronger.

“I hate the guys who get to this level and say, ‘Oh, poor me’ and ‘poor this’ and ‘poor that,'” Kligerman said. “I can’t stand that. Honestly, at the end of the day, life is so short, it’s up to you what you do with it.

“I’ve always been a person that thinks that you can make anything happen that you put your mind to.”

At the same time, he’s not bitter at Davis. Because if it hadn’t of been for Davis, regardless of how things have played out, Kligerman would never have had the opportunity to jump full-time to the Cup series in 2014.

“Brandon Davis and everyone involved tried to shoot for the stars and we failed,” Kligerman told Pockrass. “But we’ve made good on that, hopefully, and hopefully we will turn it into something better from that.”

Kligerman is 38th in the Nationwide Series standings. He’ll likely drop further downward until his next opportunity comes along.

Speaking of which, he’s already looking at several opportunities. But they’re in series other than NASCAR.

“Outside of NASCAR, there are some pretty big opportunities that have been brought to me this week,” he said. “I can’t go into them too much, but they are very exciting and kind of something I didn’t really think about until they came to me.

“It is something (where) I might look at those as well and decide what puts me in the best quality position to go win races, which will always lead to a chance back at Cup.”

Kligerman isn’t giving up by any stretch. He knows the next best opportunity is right around the corner. It could come in the next day, the next email or the next phone call he receives.

And when it comes, Kligerman will be ready to forget the bad times he’s going through and move forward to better times.

“The right opportunity will come,” he said. “And when it comes, we’ll be ready to take it and take it by the neck and be ready to perform.”

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Vicki Golden has earned a career worthy of a thousand stories and 805 Beer tells at least one of them, as “Inverted Perspective” premiered March 30 on the company’s website and YouTube channel.

Golden did more to break the glass ceiling in SuperMotocross than she ever thought possible. She knows this because riders have never felt the need to explain any of her accomplishments with the disclaimer, “for a girl”.

At this point in Golden’s career, she’s been the first woman to finish top 10 in AMA Arenacross Lites, the first woman to qualify in the Fast 40 in Monster Energy AMA Supercross and the first woman to compete in freestyle Moto X competition, earning a bronze medal by doing so.

Her love for moto came from childhood while she watched her dad and brother ride. By seven she was on her bike and making waves throughout Southern California.

Golden, 30, is still madly in love with the sport and has no plans on moving away but her career is already one to talk about. 805 Beer’s film series wanted to do exactly that.

“I’m taken aback by it all,” Golden told NBC Sports about the documentary. “It’s just crazy to see your story, it’s one thing to live your life and battle everything that comes about but it’s another to just sit there and talk about it.”

805 approached Golden about the feature by asking, “Do you even realize that what you do, and your story is special?”

Golden took the question as a blank canvas to map out the highs and lows of her career and life.

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The title “Inverted Perspective” came from a brainstorming session with Dominick Russo and it highlights Golden’s outlook on the sport of SuperMotocross and her life in general.

“My whole life, my whole career was thinking differently and looking at things that shouldn’t be done and aren’t there, while being able to make a place for myself, where no one thought there should be a place,” Golden said. “It’s inspiring someone to think in different ways. It sums up my life.”

*Vicki Golden is not “fast for a girl”; she’s just fast. – 805 Beer*

While Golden is no stranger to the spotlight, this was the first time she’s been fully involved with the storytelling and creation of a feature about herself.

“It’s not like a full new experience,” Golden said. “Obviously, you get your standard questions about your upbringing and accomplishments, but I’ve never really put into perspective things that happened in my past with my dad and putting that to light. Also, certain other things that maybe got overlooked in previous interviews or films. I wanted to touch on these and Dom wanted to create a story. It’s just cool to see it come to light, it’s a nearly impossible thing to tell somebody’s life story in 40 minutes.”

Golden’s father was left paralyzed after an ATV accident, robbing him the opportunity to ride again. This happened a few months before the father-daughter duo was set to compete in the Loretta Lynn’s Amateur Nationals when Vicki was 12. While she might have been unable to grasp the severity at the time, it’s something she carries with her. Golden continues to ride in his honor.

Years later, an accident in 2018 nearly sidelined the then 25-year-old Vicki when a freestyle accident almost resulted in the amputation of her lower leg.

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Golden 805 Beer — *Vicki Golden has ridden a variety of disciplines in SuperMotocross, which gives her a unique perspective. – 805 Beer*

“Inverted Perspective” highlights her father’s diligence in helping Vicki continue with her career and the kindness and strength he carried while fighting his own battle.

“My dad was the entire reason that I started riding in the first place,” Golden said. “So, to honor his memory and to honor what we went through and how hard he pushed to keep our dream alive and keep everything going – in that sense then, it was really special to be able to honor him and talk about him.”

The 40-minute feature was filmed entirely in black and white, a stark contrast from the oversaturated world of motocross where the brighter the suit the easier it is for fans to find their rider and follow him in the race. By filming in monochrome Russo and Golden had the chance to focus on the race and track from a different perspective.

“It was cool to be able to film it differently,” Golden said. “It created a challenge in the sense of what was going to be more visually impactful for the film.

“I couldn’t be here without the companies that back me but at the same time, it’s not like the logos or colors disappeared, it’s just different lights shed on different spots. It’s just a cool way to do it and to take color away and still be impactful. When you think of black and white, you think of old school, the OG way of doing things.”

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