NASCAR driver removed from playoffs due to violation

The victory earned by Jeremy Clements last Saturday at Daytona International Speedway will not count toward his NASCAR Xfinity Series playoff eligibility.

Last Friday night (early Saturday morning), Jeremy Clements Racing’s Jeremy Clements earned his second career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory — exactly five years after earning his first.

Clements survived a crash-filled finish at Daytona International Speedway and won under caution over MBM Motorsports’ Timmy Hill to lock himself into the 2022 playoffs.

His lone previous playoff appearance came in 2017, when he locked himself in with his first career victory at Road America.

But the 37-year-old Spartanburg, South Carolina native has since been removed from the playoff picture, as it was discovered that there was an illegal intake manifold in the engine used in his race-winning #51 Chevrolet.

The #51 team was issued an L2-level penalty as a result of violations of Section 14.6.12K and Section 14.6.12U of the NASCAR Rule Book.

Crew chief Mark Setzer was fined $60,000 and the #51 team was assessed the loss of 75 owner points, while Clements was assessed the loss of 75 driver points.

Clements was also issued a penalty of 10 playoff points, should he still manage to qualify for the postseason. Clements and the team have since announced that they are filing an appeal against the penalty.

Clements wasn’t disqualified and keeps his victory in the record books, though the points penalty has dropped his point total from 403 to 328, dropping him from 16th to 20th place in the point standings. Because he is still in the top 20, however, he can still lock himself into the playoffs with another win.

But his removal from the provisional playoff picture has shifted the playoff standings. Clements had been the eighth playoff eligible winner this season, leaving four spots open for drivers to qualify on points. Kaulig Racing’s Landon Cassill held the 12th and final spot by 12 points over RSS Racing’s Ryan Sieg.

With five spots now open on points, Sieg now occupies the final spot, sitting 43 points ahead of Richard Childress Racing rookie Sheldon Creed.

There are three races remaining in the 2022 regular season, including Saturday’s race at Darlington Raceway. The other two are scheduled to take place at Kansas Speedway on Saturday, September 10 and at Bristol Motor Speedway on Friday, September 16.