Jesse Love displays optimism despite Rockingham setback
Jesse Love shared an optimistic take on his disqualification at Rockingham Speedway. The Richard Childress driver lost his second Xfinity Series win of the season following a post-race inspection.
Driving the No.2 Chevrolet, Love qualified seventh for the series' return to Rockingham after 21 years. He went on to lead 51 laps before losing out to JR Motorsports's Sammy Smith on lap 247.
Following a multi-car incident that led to an overtime restart, Love regained his lead after bumping the rear of Smith's No. 8 Chevrolet. The RCR driver maintained his lead to cross the checkered flag for what would've been his third Xfinity Series win.
However, during the post-race inspection, there was a rule breach with his rear suspension, resulting in a DSQ from his top spot. Consequently, Smith inherited the victory to record his first win of the season.
On Sunday, Love uploaded an Instagram post revealing his thoughts on the ordeal, stating,
"Showed up for a trophy, left with a trophy. see y’all in Dega."
The result demoted Jesse Love by one spot in the driver's standings. He landed at fourth, while Sammy Smith bumped up two spots to place at eighth. The DSQ also stripped Love of a point for his fastest lap of 23.27 seconds.
The RCR driver previously recorded a win in the inaugural race at Daytona International Speedway, following it up with an impressive pole at Atlanta.
Up next, the 20-year-old heads into the Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway. The big oval marks special significance for Love, for he recorded his first Xfinity Series win at the track in 2024.
Jesse Love dedicates Rockingham win to his girlfriend's late sister
During an interview after his win at Rockingham, Jesse Love chose to honor his girlfriend's sister, who'd passed away from skin cancer a year ago. He shed a light on the disease and urged fans to get their skin checked.
Appearing for a post-race interview with NASCAR reporter Kim Coon, Love said,
“My girlfriend's sister passed away about a year ago yesterday, and it's really sunny out today, and she died of skin cancer less than two weeks (from) when she found out. Go get skin checked today or tomorrow or next week and, it's something you want to get ahead of. So this one's for Jessica.”
Jesse Love recently made his Cup Series debut with Richard Childress Racing in the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. The Californian lined up 19th on the grid but ended up finishing down the order at 31st.
Despite the poor result, Love secured two more Cup Series starts for the 2025 season with Beard Motorsports. As such, he's set to race at Texas Motor Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway.