| Jesse Love | |
| Birth Name: | Jesse Love Jr. |
| Birth Date: | 14 January 2005 |
| Birth Place: | Menlo Park, California, U.S. |
| Achievements: | 2023 ARCA Menards Series Champion 2020, 2021 ARCA Menards Series West Champion 2018 Bay Cities Racing Association Midgets Champion 2016, 2017 USAC Speed2 Western US Dirt Midget Series Champion 2017 USAC Speed2 Western US Asphalt Midget Series Champion |
| Total Busch Races: | 15 |
| Years In Busch: | 1 |
| Busch Car Team: | No. 2 (Richard Childress Racing) |
| First Busch Race: | 2024 United Rentals 300 (Daytona) |
| Last Busch Race: | 2024 Crown Royal Purple Bag Project 200 (Darlington) |
| First Busch Win: | 2024 Ag-Pro 300 (Talladega) |
| Busch Wins: | 1 |
| Busch Top Tens: | 7 |
| Busch Poles: | 3 |
| Total Truck Races: | 3 |
| Years In Truck: | 1 |
| Prev Truck Pos: | 37th |
| Prev Truck Year: | 2023 |
| Best Truck Pos: | 37th (2023) |
| First Truck Race: | 2023 Toyota 200 (Gateway) |
| Last Truck Race: | 2023 Craftsman 150 (Phoenix) |
| Truck Wins: | 0 |
| Truck Top Tens: | 2 |
| Truck Poles: | 0 |
| Total Arca Races: | 48 |
| Years In Arca: | 4 |
| Best Arca Pos: | 1st (2023) |
| First Arca Race: | 2020 General Tire 150 (Phoenix) |
| Last Arca Race: | 2023 Shore Lunch 200 (Toledo) |
| First Arca Win: | 2021 Sioux Chief PowerPex 200 (Salem) |
| Last Arca Win: | 2023 Atlas 200 (Salem) |
| Arca Wins: | 12 |
| Arca Top Tens: | 42 |
| Arca Poles: | 11 |
| Total Arca East Races: | 14 |
| Years In Arca East: | 4 |
| Best Arca East Pos: | 9th (2022) |
| First Arca East Race: | 2020 Skip's Western Outfitters 175 (New Smyrna) |
| Last Arca East Race: | 2023 Bush's Beans 200 (Bristol) |
| First Arca East Win: | 2023 Reese's 200 (Indianapolis Raceway Park) |
| Arca East Wins: | 1 |
| Arca East Top Tens: | 11 |
| Arca East Poles: | 2 |
| Total Arca West Races: | 23 |
| Years In Arca West: | 4 |
| Best Arca West Pos: | 1st (2020, 2021) |
| First Arca West Race: | 2020 Star Nursery 150 (Las Vegas Bullring) |
| Last Arca West Race: | 2023 General Tire 150 (Phoenix) |
| First Arca West Win: | 2020 ENEOS/ Sunrise Ford Twin 30 Race #1 (Tooele) |
| Last Arca West Win: | 2021 NAPA Auto Parts 150 (Irwindale) |
| Arca West Wins: | 5 |
| Arca West Top Tens: | 17 |
| Arca West Poles: | 4 |
| Updated: | April 20, 2024 |
Jesse Hammer Love Jr. (born January 14, 2005) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 2 Chevrolet Camaro for Richard Childress Racing.
Love currently holds two records: He is the youngest winner ever in the ARCA Menards Series West, and the youngest winner ever in any NASCAR sanctioned event, both at 15 years, 5 months, and 13 days. He is also the youngest driver to win a NASCAR sanctioned championship; at age 15. He was also the ARCA Menards Series West champion for 2020 and 2021 and the ARCA Menards Series champion for 2023.
Love began racing at age five. Early in his career, he drove in the Quarter Midgets of America Series, where he won multiple races and championships before turning ten years old. He then went on to win championships in three different divisions of USAC in the same year, becoming the first driver to accomplish that. At age 13, Love, competing for Naake-Klauer Motorsports, was granted an age waiver to compete in the RPM Pro Late Model Series by Madera Speedway track promoter Kenny Shepherd due to his talent in the 51Fifty Energy Drink Jr. Late Model Series the prior year (in which he won another championship). In 2018, Love drove full-time in the INEX Legend Car Racing Series, winning five of the eight races on the schedule en route to that series' championship. The other series he raced in that year were the BCRA Midget Series and the Hunt Magneto Sprint Car Series, both of whom Love had to apply for an age exception to participate in.[1] Love drove for Keith Kunz Motorsports in the SRL Southwest Tour, a late model racing series, in 2019.[2]
On January 14, 2020, it was announced that Love would run full-time and for rookie of the year in the ARCA Menards Series West in the No. 19 Toyota for Bill McAnally Racing.[3] He replaced Hailie Deegan in that car, who left the McAnally team and Toyota's driver development program to join Ford's driver development program, running full-time in the 20-race ARCA Menards Series for DGR-Crosley.[4]
After finishing second in the season-opener at Las Vegas Bullring, Love won his first West Series race in the first of the two races in the doubleheader at the Utah Motorsports Campus road course on June 27. It was just his second start in the series.[5]
In addition, Love and his BMR teammates would compete in the ten races of the 20-race ARCA Menards Series' Sioux Chief Showdown. He made his debut in the first Showdown race at Phoenix Raceway on March 6. A few weeks earlier, Love and his teammates also made their debut in the ARCA Menards Series East at New Smyrna; Love finished twelfth.
Love finished the 2020 ARCA West season with 3 wins and 9 top 5 finishes in 11 races en route to the championship, beating out season-long rival Blaine Perkins. He became the youngest West Series champion at just 15 years, 9 months, and 24 days old.[6] [7]
In 2021, Love returned to BMR for his second season in the West Series, and moved from the No. 19 to the No. 16, replacing Gio Scelzi with the team condensing from four full-time cars to two and the No. 19 car being closed down. He also returned to Venturini Motorsports for a nine-race schedule in the main ARCA Menards Series (including all three combination races with the ARCA Menards Series East) as well as one non-combination race in the East Series (at Dover). In both series, he drove the No. 25.[8] He earned his first career win of the season at Salem Speedway, outdueling Ty Gibbs in a restart with 46 laps to go.[9]
On January 3, 2022, it was announced that Love would return to Venturini Motorsports for the majority of the 2022 season, running all of the races where he was eligible in.[10] During the season, he earned eight top fives twelve top tens. He would also earn his second career ARCA win at the Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack, leading every lap in a dominating fashion.[11] Love would be upgraded to a full-time schedule with Venturini Motorsports in the 2023 season.[12] That year, Love would have a breakout season, earning ten wins, eighteen top tens, and seventeen top fives. He would ultimately claim the 2023 ARCA Menards Series championship one race early at Salem, after simply taking the green flag.[13]
On February 9, 2023, it was announced that Love would run three NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races for Tricon Garage, driving their No. 1 truck.[14] At Gateway, Love made his debut in the No. 11 truck due to the original driver, Corey Heim, having an illness. Toni Breidinger would drive the 1 truck for that race. Love would end up finishing in the top ten in 9th. He made his second start of the season at Kansas, finishing 13th.
On October 25, 2023, it was announced that Love would drive full-time for Richard Childress Racing in the No. 2 Chevrolet in 2024, replacing Sheldon Creed.[15] [16] He began the season by winning the pole in his first career start at Daytona.[17] He won the first stage and led a race-high 34 laps, before getting involved in a wreck during stage two. He went on to finish the race in 20th. The following week at Atlanta, Love once again won the pole and went on to have a blistering performance, sweeping both stages and leading 157 of the 163 scheduled laps.[18] The race went into overtime after multiple drivers ran out of fuel with two laps to go. Love sputtered his fuel tank on the final restart, and ultimately fell back to finish 12th.[19] [20] At Phoenix, he had another solid run, and earned a career best 2nd place finish, only behind race winner Chandler Smith.[21] The following four weeks, he continued a streak of top 10 finishes, including his third career pole at Texas.[22] At Talladega, Love scored his first career win, holding off the field on an overtime restart.[23]
Love is the son of Elizabeth and Jesshill Love. Jesshill raced midget cars in his youth[24] and is a real estate investor and lawyer. Jesshill is the CEO of three real estate portfolios in California, former president of the Silicon Valley Chapter of the Entrepreneurs' Organization, and the CEO of HomeSmiles, a property maintenance company that supports Jesse's racing endeavors.[25] [26] [27]
(key) (
Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)| NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | Pts | Ref | |
| 2023 | Tricon Garage | 11 | Toyota | DAY | LVS | ATL | COA | TEX | BRD | MAR | KAN | DAR | NWS | CLT | GTW 9 | NSH | MOH | POC | RCH | IRP | MLW | 37th | 85 | [29] | |||||
| 1 | KAN 13 | BRI | TAL | HOM | PHO 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
(key) (
Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)| ARCA Menards Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pts | Ref | |
| 2020 | Bill McAnally Racing | 19 | Toyota | DAY | PHO 16 | TAL | POC | IRP | KEN | IOW 12 | KAN | TOL | TOL | MCH | DRC | GTW 5 | L44 | TOL | BRI | 26th | 139 | [30] | ||||
| Venturini Motorsports | 20 | Toyota | WIN 4 | MEM | ISF | KAN | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Bill McAnally Racing | 16 | Toyota | DAY | PHO 6 | TAL | KAN | 10th | 386 | [31] | ||||||||||||||||
| Venturini Motorsports | 15 | Toyota | TOL 4 | CLT | MOH | POC | ELK 2 | BLN 5 | ISF 5 | MLW 7 | DSF 10 | SLM 1 | KAN | |||||||||||||
| 25 | IOW 7 | WIN | GLN | MCH | BRI 7 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 20 | DAY | PHO 6 | TAL | KAN | CLT | IOW 13 | BLN 3 | ELK 2 | MOH 5 | POC 13 | IRP 6 | MCH | GLN 3 | ISF 1** | MLW 7 | DSF 2 | KAN | BRI 10 | SLM 2 | TOL 2* | 11th | 603 | [32] | ||
| 2023 | DAY 7 | PHO 27 | TAL 1* | KAN 1* | CLT 1* | BLN 2* | ELK 1* | MOH 4 | IOW 3 | POC 1* | MCH 1 | IRP 1* | GLN 1 | ISF 3 | MLW 2 | DSF 1 | KAN 19 | BRI 2* | SLM 1** | TOL 2 | 1st | 1057 | [33] | |||
| ARCA Menards Series East results | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Pts | Ref | |
| 2020 | Bill McAnally Racing | 19 | Toyota | NSM 12 | TOL | DOV | TOL | BRI | 20th | 70 | [34] | |||
| Venturini Motorsports | 15 | Toyota | FIF 6 | |||||||||||
| 2021 | 25 | NSM | FIF | NSV | DOV 18 | SNM | IOW 7 | BRI 7 | 11th | 132 | [35] | |||
| 15 | MLW 7 | |||||||||||||
| 2022 | 20 | NSM | FIF | DOV 2 | NSV | IOW 13 | MLW 7 | BRI 10 | 9th | 142 | [36] | |||
| 2023 | FIF | DOV | NSV | FRS | IOW 3 | IRP 1* | MLW 2 | BRI 2* | 11th | 177 | [37] | |||
| ARCA Menards Series West results | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Pts | Ref | |
| 2020 | Bill McAnally Racing | 19 | Toyota | LVS 2 | MMP 1* | MMP 2 | IRW 1* | EVG 4 | DCS 3 | CNS 1* | LVS 3 | AAS 4 | KCR 8 | PHO 14 | 1st | 613 | [38] | |
| 2021 | 16 | PHO 6 | SON 19 | IRW 1 | CNS 2* | IRW 1 | PIR 3 | LVS 13 | AAS 12 | PHO 14 | 1st | 438 | [39] | |||||
| 2022 | Venturini Motorsports | 20 | Toyota | PHO 6 | IRW | KCR | PIR | SON | IRW | EVG | PIR | AAS | LVS | PHO 2 | 26th | 130 | [40] | |
| 2023 | PHO 27 | IRW | KCR | PIR | SON | IRW | SHA | EVG | AAS | LVS | MAD | PHO | 71st | 18 | [41] | |||