Jeremy Clements is set to celebrate a major milestone this weekend at Circuit of the Americas. He will join an exclusive list of Xfinity Series drivers while making his 500th start.
The South Carolina native, who made his debut in 2003, will be the fourth Xfinity Series driver to reach this milestone. Kenny Wallace holds the all-time record with 547 starts in the Xfinity Series. Jeff Green is second with 535 starts. Jason Keller is third with 520 starts. Clements will pass Keller before the end of the season.
"Wow, it's hard to believe I will be making my 500th Xfinity start," Clements said in a release from Jeremy Clements Racing. "I am incredibly grateful to all the sponsors, crew, friends, and family who have helped me get to this point in my career.
"We've accomplished so much with limited resources over these 20-plus years, experiencing both ups and downs for sure, but I'm so fortunate to do this for a living! Again, Thank You All for your support -- here's to 500 more!"
The start of Clements's career was not smooth. He made his debut at Pikes Peak in 2003 but crashed after 28 laps. He did not return to the Xfinity Series until 2007, when he made five starts. He continued to make limited starts in 2008-10 before going full-time in 2011.
Clements scored his first top-10 finish at World Wide Technology Raceway in 2010. He won his first race in 2017 at Road America. This put him in the playoffs for the first time.
He returned to the playoffs in 2021 after running consistently enough to secure his spot on points. He then won his second career race in 2022 at Daytona International Speedway. This secured his third playoff appearance. He has finished 12th in points all three times he has reached the playoffs.
Clements has maximized his opportunities while driving for one of NASCAR's smallest teams, and he has built a career in racing. He will hit this major milestone this weekend at COTA, but it will only be another step in his journey. He has an opportunity to push for the all-time starts record in the Xfinity Series.
Clements is not the only Xfinity driver who will hit this milestone this season. Justin Allgaier enters COTA weekend with 473 career starts. He will hit 500 during the playoff race at the Charlotte Roval in October.