Nationwide Series driver Jeremy Clements explained in detail Thursday exactly how he finds himself suspended indefinitely from NASCAR competition.

In a one-on-one interview with ESPN, Clements would not verbalize the specific comments he made, but when pressed for clarity about whether or not it was racial, he paused. Asked again, "Was it racial or not? Maybe not in context, but in term?" Clements replied: "Correct."

"When you say 'racial' remark, it wasn't used to describe anybody or anything," Clements said. "So that's all I'm going to say to that. And it really wasn't. I was describing racing, and the word I used was incorrect and I shouldn't have said it. It shouldn't be used at all."

A source told ESPN.com's David Newton on Wednesday that Clements was banned for using a racial slur while talking to a reporter. NASCAR officials wouldn't offer specifics on what Clements said, only that it was an "intolerable and insensitive remark" that violated the sanctioning body's Code of Conduct for actions detrimental to stock car racing.