Jeremy Clements penalised, loses playoff lock for Daytona win erased

Jeremy Clements‘ win at Daytona International Speedway last Friday has been reduced to a trophy with an asterisk. On Tuesday, NASCAR announced his #51 Jeremy Clements Racing team has received an L2-level penalty for an intake manifold violation; while he remains the official winner, he cannot use the victory to qualify for the Xfinity Series playoffs.

Although Clements’ car passed post-race inspection, it was taken to the Research & Development Center for further analysis which led to the infraction’s discovery. Specifically, it broke Sections 14.6.12 K and U of the NASCAR rulebook, with the former clause saying “[t]he intake manifold must conform to NASCAR templates, gauges, scales, fixtures, and any and all other measuring devices” while the latter explains, “The floor of the intake manifold plenum must conform to the NASCAR Inspection Intake Manifold Plenum Plug Gauge. The Inspection Intake Manifold Plenum Plug Gauge must fit into the intake manifold opening and contact the floor of the intake manifold plenum. The depth of the intake manifold plenum must be 4.000 (+0.000, -0.005) inches.”

Also known as an inlet manifold, the intake manifold is located atop the engine and allows it to evenly supply air to every cylinder, which is aided by a carburetor (the Cup Series utilises throttle-body fuel injection). The plenum chamber is located atop and centre of the manifold, and this component must adhere to a tight dimensional guideline.

Clements had initially secured a playoff spot after surving an arduous Wawa 250 on Friday to score his first win since 2017 and a popular triumph for a small team. However, the penalty means he will have to win again or hope for a major miracle if he wishes to qualify for the playoffs with three races remaining. After being sixteenth in points and 133 below the cutline with 403 (Ryan Sieg is twelfth with 536), the L2 penalty also comes with seventy-five points being deducted which drops him to nineteenth with 328 points. Even if Clements makes the postseason, he loses the ten playoff points that the win provided.

Crew chief Mark Setzer has also been fined $60,000.

Although NASCAR implemented a disqualification process in 2019 that took away wins from those who failed post-race inspection, drivers who are penalised days later for R&D infractions may retain their results and trophy if they win, albeit without the benefits like points and a guaranteed playoff spot. This penalty, formerly known as an “encumbered” result, had been in place since 2017 but is now limited to R&D inspections.

Timmy Hill, who finished second to Clements, tweeted emojis of a cucumber (a pun based on encumbrance) and upside-down face emoji following the ruling.