Jeremy Clements punched his ticket to the playoffs by winning the Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway on August 26-27. Days later, NASCAR issued L2-Level penalties that knocked the No. 51 team out of the playoffs.
NASCAR issued a press release on August 30 and announced that Clements is no longer eligible for the playoffs. The reason is that officials found the No. 51 to be in violation of Sections 14.6.12K&U of the NASCAR Rule Book, which pertains to the intake manifold.
“Section K of the rule states that the intake manifold must conform to NASCAR templates, gauges, scales, fixtures and any and all other measuring devices,” the release stated. “Section U notes the floor of the intake manifold plenum must conform to the NASCAR Inspection Intake Manifold Plenum Plug Gauge.”
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One day later, Clements and the No. 51 team responded. They provided more information about the piece that led to the L2-Level penalties, and they confirmed that there will be an appeal.
The L2-Level Penalties Included the Loss of Points
GettyJeremy Clements can still pursue a spot in the playoffs.
Along with losing the spot in the Xfinity Series playoffs, the No. 51 team lost 75 owner points, 75 driver points, and 10 playoff points. The 10 playoff points will only come into play if Clements wins one of the three remaining regular-season races and puts himself back into the championship conversation.
The penalty report stated that crew chief Mark Setzer received a $60,000 fine. Though he avoided any suspensions. This is a change from the L2-level penalties issued to Front Row Motorsports and RFK Racing, which included four-race suspensions for crew chiefs Blake Harris and Matt McCall, respectively.
While Clements is out of the playoffs due to the L2-level penalties, he can still put himself back above the playoff cutline. He will have to win one of the three remaining races. These take place at Darlington Raceway on September 3, Kansas Speedway on September 10, and Bristol Motor Speedway on September 16.
Another Driver Moves Above the Cutline
GettyRyan Sieg (left) is back above the playoff cutline.
When Clements won the Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway, he shook up the playoff standings. He jumped up above the cutline while Ryan Sieg fell out of the transfer spot.
The RSS Racing driver left Daytona 12 points out of the playoffs. Kaulig Racing’s Landon Cassill held the final transfer spot, but he only had a minor advantage. Now the situation has drastically changed.
Following the penalties, Sieg is back above the playoff cutline while Cassill moves up to 11th in the standings. The gap between those in the playoffs and those on the outside looking in has also increased. Richard Childress Racing’s Sheldon Creed is now the closest driver to Sieg, but he now has to make up 43 points in the final three regular-season races.
Clements is back behind all of these drivers. The loss of 75 points actually knocked him down to 20th in the Xfinity Series standings, which is eight spots out of the playoffs. This is a major hurdle to overcome in the remaining races.
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Massive Penalties Knock Jeremy Clements Out of NASCAR Playoffs