DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The good news is that Jeremy Clements remains the winner of Friday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Daytona Int’l Speedway.
The bad news is that the victory will no longer count toward playoff eligibility and his team was hit with serious monetary and points fines by NASCAR on Tuesday afternoon.
The No. 51 Chevrolet of Jeremy Clements Racing was levied an L2-level penalty by NASCAR officials, the sanctioning body announced Tuesday.
The No. 51 Chevrolet driven by Clements was found in violation of Sections 14.6.12K&U of the NASCAR Rule Book, which pertains to the intake manifold.
Additionally, crew chief Mark Setzer has been fined $60,000 and the team was assessed the loss of 75 owner points, 75 driver points and 10 playoff points should it still qualify for the postseason.
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; while Section U notes the floor of the intake manifold plenum must conform to the NASCAR Inspection Intake Manifold Plenum Plug Gauge.
Clements, whose victory at Daytona was the second of his career, now needs a victory in one of the final three NASCAR Xfinity Series regular season races in order to qualify for the playoffs.