Connor Zilisch started the NASCAR Wawa 250 on Friday night in pole position, but the JR Motorsports driver didn’t stay behind the wheel for long and was replaced by Parker Kligerman in a grand scheme to keep his points and heal from injury. However, if Kligerman wins a stage or even the entire race, the playoff points wouldn’t transfer.

Just 13 laps into the Xfinity Series race at Daytona, the 19-year-old was out of his car and handing control to Parker Kligerman in a planned move. Before the race, Zilisch said JR’s strategy was to have him start the race, but then leave by the first caution.

Zilisch was banged up entering the race, still nursing a surgically repaired collarbone from his scary Watkins Glen fall. Despite that, he was awarded the pole via NASCAR’s Performance Metric, which sets qualifying based on previous race results, driver points, and fastest laps.

When lightning briefly cleared on Friday evening, 15 of 38 cars completed laps before storms ended the session, locking Zilisch on the front row. On Lap 13, he brought the No. 88 Chevrolet down pit road and climbed out, allowing Kligerman to slide in to finish the race. Once Zilisch dropped to the rear of the field, Sam Mayer inherited the top spot in the No. 41 Ford.

“It’s just not worth the risk to re-injure something so freshly injured,” Zilisch explained. “I have confidence that Parker will do a good job.”

The swap came during the backstretch, buying the crew time to complete the unusual mid-race switch. Zilisch’s exit also meant Harrison Burton received the free pass, returning to the lead lap.

NASCAR insiders confirmed that its scoring system allows Zilisch to keep the driver points for wherever Kligerman finishes. However, if Kligerman wins a stage or even the entire race, the playoff points wouldn’t transfer. Zilisch would be credited with the win but not the bonus that comes with it. He thanked Klingerman for participating in his team’s master plan.

“Thank you, guys. I appreciate everybody’s hard work to make this work. Parker, I appreciate you doing this for my dumb —,” he said.

DON’T MISS

NASCAR fans online who witnessed the switch then began hoping for Klingerman to get the win. One fan wrote, “I am praying and begging so hard for a Parker Kilgerman win in the 88 tonight.”

Another added, “Kligerman victory hopefully,” while another noted that Kligerman had the potential to finish first at Daytona twice in 2025 but received zero credited wins. His No. 75 Chevrolet failed post-race inspection due to low ride height, leading to his 2025 Truck Series disqualification during the Fresh From Florida 250.

After the nearly half-hour rain delay, Kligerman took the lead following Sammy Smith’s win in stage 1. He batted with Justin Haley on the backstretch, with plenty of race left to go.