Love Eager, But Focused Ahead Of Cup Series Debut

Jesse Love makes his NASCAR Cup Series debut Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway. (Jacob Seelman/Race Face Digital photo)

BRISTOL, Tenn. – It was hard to find anyone walking into Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday morning with more anticipation around them than 20-year-old Jesse Love.

There’s good reason for that in Love’s return to The Last Great Colosseum. After a solid showing in his track debut in the NASCAR Xfinity Series last fall, Love will do double duty this weekend, including his long-awaited NASCAR Cup Series debut with Richard Childress Racing in Sunday’s Food City 500.

It’s a watershed moment for the Menlo Park, Calif., native, who grew up racing in the Golden State as a youngster dreaming of one day ascending to the top level of stock car racing.

“A lot of people have asked me if I’m excited. Truthfully, I have worked my whole life toward this opportunity, so it’s going to be (a) high pressure situation and environment, but to finally be here is still extremely special,” Love said. “I don’t feel like going into it overly excited and ambitious is probably the best way to go about it. I’m trying to keep a level head going into the whole weekend.

“I have 500 laps to stay disciplined with my marks, rhythm, and how I drive. I want to go perform the best that I can, so I can achieve my bigger goal of doing it every weekend on Sunday in the future.”

Love’s mature mentality embodies a wisdom that belies his age. He’s excelled at every level as he’s climbed to the regional – and now national – stages, including back-to-back ARCA Menards Series West championships in 2020 and ’21 and a national ARCA Menards Series title in 2023.

His maiden voyage in the Xfinity Series last year not only delivered rookie-of-the-year honors, but also a first career win at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway and strong playoff appearance. Though he was eliminated just short of the Championship 4, Love still ended the year seventh in points.

All that momentum, plus a hot start to this year in the Xfinity Series that included a win in the season opener at Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway in February, gives Love as much positive mojo as one could arguably ask for heading into what he knows will be his greatest challenge yet.

“We have been really strong this year. We are leading laps, running up front, contending, and putting ourselves in position to win most weeks,” said Love. “There is a lot of confidence that comes with that. Obviously, we are building fast race cars and we are in contention most races. Bristol is probably my best racetrack on the schedule and a place I know well, so I definitely have high hopes for this weekend, particularly on the Xfinity side. We had a good package there last year and had a shot to win, and I’ve been able to figure some things out since the last time I was there too.

“Hopefully, we can continue to progress and show that this weekend on both days,” Love continued. “I believe in myself because of the work I’ve put in to get to this point, but I don’t want to set too many expectations for myself. It’s about controlling what I can control as best I can.”

Wheeling the No. 33 Chevrolet and carrying the colors of longtime sponsor C4 Energy, Love will tackle his first race at NASCAR’s top level with the veteran presence of Andy Street – a multi-time winning crew chief in the Xfinity Series – atop the pit box calling the shots.

Love’s preparation for his Cup Series debut has included a wealth of simulator time, leaning on other drivers and his crew for advice, and his usual regimen of athletic training and mental focus.

In short, he’s trying not to change too much if he can help it.

“You could list off a lot of things and I would probably have the same answer – all of the above. Obviously, the simulation stuff is important, because I probably ran about 2,000 laps on the simulator to prep for this one! But even more so than that, it’s about building my relationship with my new crew chief, Andy Street,” said Love. “He and I have a good friendship even before we knew we would work together this season. Continuing to build on that relationship and figuring out the questions I have will be important.

Jesse Love's car in the garage at Bristol Motor Speedway. (Scotte Sprinkle/Race Face Digital photo)

“I try to come into these weekends with an idea of what to do and what not to do, and I feel like I have accomplished that,” Love added. “This week has been a lot of prep, and that work went all the way up to Friday. I want to keep the pressure on myself to find out more answers, talk to more people, and get tidbits from different drivers that I trust.

“I think I’ll be able to go through the weekend with a clear and open mind. I got a lot of my emotions out on the drive up, and I believe that will let me stay level and focus on my execution in Sunday’s race.”

That drive through the mountains that Love noted brought back memories of his early days riding to races in his home state, something he appreciated as he let out some of his feelings in preparation.

“It was like driving to Baylands (in California), which is where I grew up,” Love shared. “The snaking route up here (to Bristol from North Carolina) is kind of a similar terrain and route to that, so that was a pretty cool and emotional experience.

“I remember when I was five, six years old and running quarter midgets with my dad, we drove up this windy path … it was a one-lane road up to the go-kart track, and then now doing the same thing (ahead of) the Cup race was a really cool full-circle moment for me.”

What would a successful Cup Series debut look like for Love? He didn’t want to quantify anything with a number or range ahead of the race, but tipped that “gaining respect” and “getting to the end” are two vital keys for him.

“We don’t want to tear this car up; it’s a beautiful piece and I want to make sure it goes back in the box at the end of the day Sunday,” Love said. “Obviously, this is Bristol and there’s a good chance of short track contact throughout the race – 500 laps is a long time for things to happen and we know tempers can flare here. But these drivers aren’t just my heroes anymore, they’re the competitors I aim to be racing against every week … and I want them to be able to trust that they can race hard around me, but clean and respectfully as well.

“Above all, you only get to make your first Cup Series start once, so I also want to make sure to soak in the moment and enjoy the experience along the way,” he noted. “Everything in my career has been about working toward this point, and it’s so rewarding to see all the effort and the entire grind begin to pay off.”

First for Love comes Saturday afternoon’s SciAps 300, where he’ll chase his second Xfinity Series win of the year in his familiar No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet. Broadcast coverage kicks off at 5 p.m. ET on The CW, the Performance Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

Sunday’s Food City 500 and Love’s maiden voyage in the Cup Series rolls off at 3 p.m. ET, broadcast on FS1, as well as PRN and SiriusXM channel 90.