Reigning ARCA Menards Series champion Jesse Love is taking the next step in his budding NASCAR career by joining Richard Childress Racing to compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2024.
Love will compete for Richard Childress Racing’s Xfinity Series program on a full-time basis, beginning with the 2024 season-opener at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 17. He will drive the No. 2 Chevrolet with sponsorship from Whelen.
“I’ve been fortunate to gain a lot of racing experience at a young age, but nothing compares to the opportunity to race for a legendary team like Richard Childress Racing,” said Love. “I have so much respect for Richard Childress and am extremely grateful to be able to race and learn with one of the most successful teams in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
“I’ve dreamed of racing at the highest levels of the sport since I was a young kid, and the path to the NASCAR Cup Series seems more clear with this opportunity. It’s even more special to be able to represent a company like Whelen who has a long-standing involvement in motorsports and strong focus on building American-made products.”
RELATED: How Love’s development led to ARCA championship
Love’s success on the ARCA platform began when he was 15. While driving for team owner Bill McAnally, he won three times en route to the 2020 ARCA Menards Series West title, becoming the platform’s youngest ever champion. He backed up that championship with a second West Series title the following year, which he earned via tiebreaker over Jake Drew.
Following two successful seasons in the West Series, Love made the transition to the ARCA Menards Series with Venturini Motorsports. He made four ARCA Menards Series starts in 2020, followed by 10 starts in 2021. He earned his first ARCA Menards Series victory in 2021 at Salem Speedway at the age of 16 and collected his second victory one year later at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.
In 2023, Love ran the full ARCA Menards Series schedule for the first time and enjoyed a breakout season, scoring 10 victories at tracks like Talladega Superspeedway, Watkins Glen International, Pocono Raceway and Michigan International Speedway. He earned 17 top-five and 18 top-10 finishes in 20 starts and comfortably claimed the ARCA Menards Series championship ahead of runner-up Andres Perez.
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