Clements penalized, loses use of Daytona NXS win for playoffs

Clements ended a 164-race winless streak with his victory early Saturday morning in the rain-delayed race at Daytona International Speedway and his No. 51 Chevrolet passed post-race inspection at the track.

However, the Xfinity Series uses a sealed engine program but all race-winning engines must be torn down at NASCAR’s R&D Center prior to the championship season finale. The No. 51 decided to turn in its Daytona race-winning engine this week.

When NASCAR tore the engine down, it discovered an unapproved intake manifold.

On Tuesday afternoon NASCAR issued an L2 penalty to the team, fining crew chief Mark Setzer and stripping it of 75 owner points, 75 driver points and 10 playoff points.

Because the L2 penalty was found after post-race inspection, Clement’s first-place finish will not count towards eligibility for the playoffs, advancement in the playoffs, eligibility for non-points events and tie breakers.

However, Clements will still hold onto the victory, which was the second of his career.

A rulebook update to start the year stated infractions found at R&D Center inspection would not result in race disqualification.

Clements intends to appeal the penalty, releasing the following statement on social media: