Westport's Kligerman Finishes 13th In Subway Jalapeno 250

After qualifying second, Westport's Parker Kligerman finished outside the top 10 in Friday's Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona International Speedway.

Competing in his fourth race of the year, the 19-year-old rookie placed 13th,  which was still a  career-best.

Kligerman is 58th in the overall standings midway his first season on the NASCAR Nationwide circuit and fifth among freshmen drivers.

Driving a Discount Tire Dodge, Kligerman posted a time of 182.242 miles per hour during his qualifying session earlier Friday and started on the outside of his Roger Penske Racing teammate Brad Keselowski, who won the pole with a speed of 183.031.

Although he has been driving professionally for less than a year, Kligerman already has had some impressive showings.

In his Nationwide Series debut on Oct. 3,  he won the pole for the Kansas Lottery 300 while driving his No. 22 Penske Truck Rental Dodge Charger at the Kansas Speedway. Kligerman led the first seven laps of that race before finishing 16th.

Kligerman finished second in the 2009 ARCA RE/MAX Series season in his first year in the driver development program.

Earlier this year, he failed to qualify at Daytona and Bristol, then crashed in the 113th lap at Talladega.

The Subway Jalapeno 250 was won by Dale Earnhardt Jr., who held off runner-up Joey Legano of  Norwalk.

The son of the late Dale Earnhardt, Sr.,  who was killed in a crash at Daytona in 2001, the younger Earnhardt earned his first Nationwide victory in nearly four years.