Jeremy Clements Racing Overview
Jeremy Clements Racing (JCR) is an American professional stock car racing team that competes full-time in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. Founded in 2010 and based in Spartanburg, South Carolina, the organization fields the No. 51 Chevrolet Camaro SS with driver and co-owner Jeremy Clements behind the wheel. The team is co-owned by Jeremy Clements and his father Tony Clements, who together oversee operations, sponsorship, and chassis preparation. JCR operates a technical alliance with Haas Factory Team, giving the small, family-run organization access to engineering support typically associated with larger race shops.
Since its first competitive outing, the team has become known for steady, consistent performances rather than high-budget championship bids. Across more than 500 series starts, the organization has captured two race victories and recorded numerous top-ten finishes, establishing itself as a fixture in the middle of the NASCAR national series field. JCR’s identity centers on longevity, owner-driver leadership, and a long-term commitment to running the same No. 51 entry season after season.
Founding and Organizational Origins
The Clements family’s racing roots trace back to 2008, when Jeremy Clements first attempted to qualify for NASCAR Xfinity Series events under the original team name, Jeremy Clements Motorsports. The debut race came at the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 at Gateway, where Clements started the No. 50 car and finished twenty-second. The early years required a hands-on approach from both Jeremy and Tony, who balanced driving duties with the responsibilities of ownership, transportation, and mechanical preparation from the Spartanburg shop.
In 2010, the family briefly stepped away from running an independent operation to collaborate with JD Motorsports, fielding the No. 04 entry. The partnership offered additional resources and infrastructure, but the Clements organization eventually returned to running its own cars. By 2011, the team rebranded around the No. 51 and began a long stretch of self-run competition that continues today.
That independent structure, built around the Clements family, has remained the foundation of the organization. Tony and Jeremy Clements continue to make the major business and technical decisions, with the team keeping a lean operational footprint compared with many of its NASCAR national-series rivals.
Growth Into NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Competition
JCR’s growth into a full-time NASCAR national-series program came in 2011, when the team attempted the entire Xfinity Series schedule for the first time in the No. 51. That season produced three top-fifteen finishes and a points result that placed the team inside the series’ top fifteen, signaling that the organization could compete on a full-season basis. Over the next several years, the team steadily added top-ten results and built a reputation for finishing races, an important attribute in a series where completing events often determines mid-pack competitiveness.
The move from a part-time independent effort to a consistent full-season operation was shaped by gradual improvements in car preparation, sponsorships, and crew experience. Long-term backers such as RepairableVehicles.com supported the team for roughly a decade, providing the financial stability needed to plan multi-year chassis and personnel investments. As results improved, the team attracted additional sponsorship and strengthened its technical partnerships, laying the groundwork for its eventual breakthrough victories.
In recent seasons, the technical alliance with Haas Factory Team has further integrated JCR into the broader Chevrolet performance network. That relationship has helped the team access shared engineering data, modernized chassis, and strategic support that complement the work done in Spartanburg.
Jeremy Clements Racing Competitive Journey
Across more than a decade of competition, Jeremy Clements Racing has progressed from a small family-run operation attempting to qualify for occasional Xfinity Series events into a veteran full-time entrant in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. The team’s competitive journey has been defined by gradual improvement, consistent race finishes, and two landmark victories that bookended a long climb up the standings.
Early Seasons and Development (2008-2015)
The team’s earliest competitive years focused on simply making races and gaining experience at the national-series level. In 2008, the No. 50 program debuted at Gateway, and the following season produced modest gains, including a sixteenth-place finish at the same track. After a 2010 collaboration with JD Motorsports in the No. 04, the team returned to its own equipment and introduced the No. 51 in 2011, attempting a full schedule for the first time.
From 2012 through 2015, JCR built a reputation for steady finishes, recording multiple top-ten and top-fifteen results each season. The team consistently placed in the mid-teens of the final points standings, peaking with a fourteenth-place points finish. The 51 program also occasionally fielded extra entries, including a No. 4 car that ran select events with Ty Dillon for Richard Childress Racing. These years emphasized durability and incremental growth rather than outright victories.
Breakthrough in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (2016-2022)
The team’s first major breakthrough arrived in 2016, when the inaugural Xfinity Series Chase format elevated the importance of regular-season wins. Clements finished fifteenth in points, narrowly missing the playoff cutoff, and recorded the team’s first top-five result with a fourth-place run at Talladega. The following season produced JCR’s first victory: the August 27, 2017 Johnsonville 180 at Road America, won after contact with Matt Tifft on the final lap. The win locked the No. 51 into the Round of 12, although the team was eliminated in the next round and finished last in the Chase.
After a return to consistent top-fifteens in 2018, the team invested in equipment ahead of 2019, purchasing chassis from the closed Chip Ganassi Racing Xfinity Series program. The new cars produced a noticeable performance jump, with one top-five and four top-ten finishes, including a sixth at Kansas. In 2020, the team was fined $10,000 for an undisclosed COVID-19 protocols violation, an appeal of which was unsuccessful, and parted ways with longtime sponsor RepairableVehicles.com after ten years. Despite those challenges, the No. 51 logged one top-five and five top-ten finishes and earned a season-best third at Pocono.
JCR’s second career victory came at the 2022 Daytona night race. NASCAR later issued an L2 penalty related to an intake-manifold issue discovered in post-race inspection, costing crew chief Mark Setzer a $60,000 fine and docking the team 75 owner and driver points along with ten playoff points. An appeal in September 2022 reversed the penalty, restoring playoff eligibility. Later that season, the team received an L1 penalty after Las Vegas, resulting in a one-race suspension and $25,000 fine for Setzer, plus a forty-point deduction for the No. 51.
Modern Program and Current Direction (2023-Present)
Entering the 2025 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season, JCR continues to operate as an owner-driver team from its Spartanburg base, running the No. 51 Chevrolet Camaro SS. Sponsorship stability returned in 2021 when First Pacific Funding joined the program after a strong early-season run, and the team has continued to develop commercial partnerships around its on-track results. The technical alliance with Haas Factory Team remains a key element of the team’s weekly preparation and long-term planning.
The current lineup features Jeremy Clements as the sole full-time driver of the No. 51. With more than 500 career starts and two victories to his name, Clements continues to be both the face of the team and a key decision-maker in its competitive direction. The organization has set its sights on consistently contending for top-ten and occasional top-five finishes, with a long-term goal of returning to the series playoffs.
Philosophy and Competitive Strengths
JCR’s identity is built on consistency, mechanical reliability, and smart race-day strategy. The team tends to perform best on tracks where tire conservation and clean execution outweigh raw outright speed, using steady pit work and durable equipment to capture strong finishes. Its technical alliance with Haas Factory Team reinforces a data-driven approach, while the owner-driver structure keeps feedback between the seat and the shop direct and immediate.
Key Milestones and Major Moments
Among the defining moments in JCR’s history are the team’s 2008 debut at Gateway, its transition to the No. 51 in 2011, the first victory at Road America in 2017, the second victory under the lights at Daytona in 2022, and the successful appeal that restored the team’s playoff eligibility that same year. Together these moments mark the team’s transformation from a small family effort into a respected NASCAR national-series organization.
Jeremy Clements Racing Achievements and Results
Jeremy Clements Racing’s verified record includes more than 500 NASCAR national-series starts, two race victories, and a long list of top-ten finishes across the Xfinity and NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. While the team has not captured a series drivers’ or owners’ championship, it has become a fixture in the middle of the field, regularly finishing inside the top fifteen in points.
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Achievements
In the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, JCR has logged two career victories: the 2017 Johnsonville 180 at Road America and the 2022 Daytona night race. The team has also recorded multiple top-five and top-ten finishes, with the most recent standout result being the third-place run at Pocono in 2020. The two wins represent the team’s only trips to victory lane but rank among the most significant achievements for a single-car independent operation in the series.
Conference Achievements
Across its years of full-time competition, the team has not recorded conference-level championships, but it has consistently placed within the top tier of the regular-season standings. Multiple top-fifteen points finishes highlight the organization’s ability to maintain stable performance across long seasons.
Divisional Achievements
JCR does not officially compete in a divisional structure within the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. Its competitive accomplishments are measured in race wins, top-ten finishes, and final points position rather than divisional titles.
Series Achievements
Over its career, the team has competed in more than 500 NASCAR Xfinity and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series events. Highlights include two series race wins, several top-five finishes, and consistent mid-pack points results that have kept the No. 51 on the grid year after year. The development of Jeremy Clements from part-time entrant to veteran owner-driver remains the team’s most significant long-term achievement.