Jeremy Clements scored an upset victory in a finish that saw him spin as he attempted the winning pass on the second-to-last lap of the Xfinity Series race Sunday at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisc.
Jeremy Clements scores upset Xfinity Series win at Road America
Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images
Clement, driving for his family-owned, underdog team that operates on a small budget, was behind the wheel of a car built in 2008. The breakthrough win came in his 255th start in NASCAR’s No. 2 series and essentially clinches him a spot in the 12-driver playoffs with three regular season races remaining.
“I don’t even know what to say,” Clements said in victory lane. “I’m just shocked. Everything we got is old and used.”
Matt Tifft was leading as he attempted to hold off the faster Clements, who had fresher tires, over the final laps of the Johnsonville 180. As Clements attempted to pass Tifft he clipped Tifft’s car, sending both spinning. But with third-place Michael Annett more than 10 seconds behind, Clements was able to right his car and continue on unchallenged.
Annett finished a career-best second, with Tifft third. Justin Marks was fourth and Brendan Gaughan fifth.
The 32-year-old Clements had been leading when he pitted with nine laps remaining, handing the top position to Tifft. He then set about chasing down Tifft, setting up the memorable finish on the 4-mile, 14-turn circuit.
“I want to say sorry to Matt Tifft,” Clements added. “I definitely didn’t mean to spin him out there. I got in there hot and we collided. That was my fault, that was definitely not his fault.”
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