Jeremy Clements Bio
Jeremy Wayne Clements (born January 16, 1985) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, driving the No. 51 Chevrolet Camaro SS for his family-owned team, Jeremy Clements Racing. Over more than two decades, Clements has built a reputation as a determined independent competitor in NASCAR’s national ranks, highlighted by breakthrough wins in 2017 and 2022.
Standing 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing about 150 pounds, Clements has combined longevity with steady improvement. He is the son of Tony Clements, owner of Clements Racing Engines, and was raised in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where his love for racing began at an early age.
Early Life and Background
Jeremy Wayne Clements was born on January 16, 1985, in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He grew up surrounded by engines and race shops through his father, Tony Clements, who owns Clements Racing Engines. That family connection to engine building gave Jeremy an early technical understanding of cars that shaped his development as a driver.
Clements began his racing career at the age of 8, driving go-karts. By 1999, he had moved on to four-cylinder cars in both the Modified and Stock Series at Thunder Valley Speedway and Cherokee Speedway. Over the next three seasons, he won 55 feature events and two track championships, establishing himself as one of the most promising young talents in the Southeast short-track scene.
Path to NASCAR
In 2002, Clements moved up to the Late Model division, where he won nine overall races and the championship at Cherokee Speedway. That same year, he made his ARCA Series debut at Talladega Superspeedway, starting sixth and finishing seventeenth in the No. 3 Chevrolet. In 2003, he started five ARCA races and earned three top-ten finishes, gaining valuable seat time on bigger tracks.
Clements’ career nearly ended on July 24, 2004, when a driveshaft broke while he was racing a Late Model at 311 Speedway in North Carolina. The broken piece pierced the car and severely injured his right hand. He was rushed to Wake Forest University Baptist Hospital, where he underwent a nine-hour orthopedic surgery. Over the following year, he endured ten additional surgeries, including a procedure in which his hand was sewn to his hip for a skin graft, along with bone grafts and tendon transfers from his foot.
Jeremy Clements Career
Early Career (2003–2006)
Clements made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in 2003 at Pikes Peak International Raceway, driving the No. 71 Chevrolet for Young Racing. He started 35th and finished 31st after an early crash. He did not return to the series until 2007, when he signed with McGill Motorsports to run the final five races of the year in the No. 36 Chevrolet, recording a best finish of 23rd at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Meanwhile, Clements stayed active in ARCA competition. He returned to racing in 2005 after his long injury recovery and made his ARCA comeback at Chicagoland Speedway in September. In 2006, he ran ten ARCA races in Ken Appling’s No. 3 Chevrolet, earning four top-ten finishes, including three consecutive top-fives. During this period, General Motors selected him to participate in a three-track test with Richard Childress Racing, a sign of his growing reputation among national-level teams.
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Breakthrough (2007–2016)
In 2008, Clements attempted four Xfinity Series races for his family-owned No. 50 team, qualifying for two. In 2009, he increased his focus on the series, attempting thirteen races and making twelve, with a best finish of sixteenth in his family car. He later joined JD Motorsports in the No. 0 Chevrolet, recording a then-career-best twelfth at Auto Club Speedway.
The 2010 season brought his first career top-ten finish, a tenth at Gateway International Raceway, where he also led six laps for the first time. By 2011, he was competing in all 34 Xfinity races and finishing fifteenth in points. In 2016, at Talladega Superspeedway, Clements led laps under caution and earned his first Xfinity top-five, a fourth-place result.
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Wins (2017–2022)
In 2017, Clements scored his first career Xfinity Series victory at Road America, taking the lead after contact with Matt Tifft with two laps to go. The win was the first for an independent Xfinity Series team not affiliated with NASCAR’s Cup Series since David Gilliland won at Kentucky in 2006. Clements finished inside the top twenty in 27 of 33 races in 2018 and placed fifteenth in the final standings, then followed it with a fourteenth-place points finish in 2019.
The 2021 season was one of his best without a win, as he scored eight top-ten finishes, qualified for the playoffs on points, and finished twelfth in the standings. In 2022, he scored his second career Xfinity win in the Daytona night race in overtime. Although NASCAR issued an L2 penalty four days later for an illegally modified intake manifold, Clements’ appeal was successful, and the penalties were rescinded, restoring his playoff eligibility.
Jeremy Clements Racing Era (2023–Present)
The 2023 season was disappointing for Clements, as he failed to record a single top-ten finish and ended the year nineteenth in points. In 2024, he scored just one top-ten, a sixth at Atlanta, and finished twentieth in the standings.
Clements began the 2025 season with a ninth-place finish at Daytona, where he was awarded an extra point for the Xfinity Fastest Lap. At Circuit of the Americas, he made his 500th Xfinity Series start, becoming just the fourth driver to reach that milestone. He finished the 2025 campaign with four top-ten finishes and a twenty-first-place result in the standings.
Driving Style and Strengths
Clements is known for his durability and consistency, traits that have allowed him to log more than 500 Xfinity Series starts. He has shown particular strength on road courses and superspeedways, where his Road America victory in 2017 and his top-five at Talladega in 2016 highlight his ability to capitalize on late-race opportunities.
Notable Races and Milestones
Clements’ signature wins are the 2017 Road America victory and the 2022 Daytona night race win in overtime. He reached his 500th Xfinity Series start at Circuit of the Americas in 2025, joining a small group of drivers to achieve that mark, and his return to racing in 2005 after a serious injury remains one of the most inspiring comebacks in the series.
Jeremy Clements Career Wins
Jeremy Clements has two verified NASCAR Xfinity Series victories to his name, both earned through late-race moves at distinctive tracks. He also has one ARCA Series win, scored at Nashville Superspeedway in 2007.
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Highlights
Clements’ two Xfinity wins are the 2017 Johnsonville 180 at Road America and the 2022 Wawa 250 at Daytona. The Road America win came after contact with Matt Tifft in the closing laps, while the Daytona victory was secured in overtime under the lights. In 2022, after an appeal, he regained playoff eligibility that had briefly been revoked.
Other Wins and Performances
In ARCA competition, Clements earned one win at Nashville Superspeedway on August 11, 2007, leading 48 laps after starting second. He also captured the Late Model championship at Cherokee Speedway in 2002 and two track championships in four-cylinder racing at Thunder Valley Speedway and Cherokee Speedway during his teenage years.
Jeremy Clements Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Jeremy Wayne Clements is the son of Tony Clements, the owner of Clements Racing Engines. Growing up around his father’s engine shop gave him an early technical foundation that influenced his path into racing. His family-owned operation, Jeremy Clements Racing, has remained the center of his NASCAR career.
Personal Life
Clements resides near his racing base in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He has built his career with the support of his family, including his father Tony, whose engine-building background helped shape his early development as a driver.
2025 Season Performance
Clements opened the 2025 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series with a ninth-place finish at Daytona, where he was awarded an extra point for posting the Xfinity Fastest Lap. He reached a major personal milestone at Circuit of the Americas, making his 500th Xfinity Series start and becoming only the fourth driver in series history to reach that number.
Across the season, Clements posted four top-ten finishes, a steady if unspectacular return to form after two difficult years. He ended the year twenty-first in the final standings, maintaining his streak of full-time competition in the No. 51 Chevrolet Camaro SS for Jeremy Clements Racing.
Looking ahead, Clements continues to serve as a model of longevity for independent teams in NASCAR. With more than 500 series starts, two wins, and a loyal family-led operation behind him, his focus remains on building consistency and returning to the playoffs with his single-car team.
