Jeremy Clements has been reinstated to NASCAR Xfinity playoffs eligibility after the National Motorsport Appeals Panel upheld his appeal against penalties issued for a technical violation at the end of August.

Clements, along with the No.51 Chevrolet team’s owner Tony Clements and crew chief Mark Setzer, were issued an L2 penalty by NASCAR following their win at Daytona after the series determined that it had found a breach of Section 14.6.12K&U of the NASCAR Rule Book, which relates to the intake manifold. Clements’ win was allowed to stand, but the series issued penalties of 75 driver and owner points, 10 playoff points and a $60,000 fine to the crew chief. The points deduction dropped Clements below the playoffs cutline.

Clements and the team immediately signaled their intention to appeal, and a statement on Tuesday confirmed that sanctions have been overturned:

‘Upon hearing the testimony, the decisions of the National Motorsports Appeals Panel are:

1. That the Appellants did not violate the Rule(s) set forth in the Penalty Notice.
2. That the Panel rescinds the original Penalty assessed by NASCAR.’

NASCAR still has the right to appeal the panel’s decision, which would be heard by the National Motorsports Final Appeals Officer. Clements’ restoration to the playoff hunt comes at the expense of Ryan Sieg, who has now fallen below the cutline.