Love Moves Into Xfinity Point Lead With Phoenix Top 10

Jesse Love (2) battles Nick Sanchez (48) and Justin Allgaier at Phoenix Raceway. (HHP/Harold Hinson photo)

AVONDALE, Ariz. – He might not have won Saturday’s GOVX 200 at Phoenix Raceway, but Jesse Love still ascended to the top of the NASCAR Xfinity Series standings.

With a top-10 finish in the No. 2 Samsara Chevrolet – as well as the added help of six stage points during the day at the one-mile desert oval – Love took over the regular season point lead from Richard Childress Racing teammate Austin Hill after four races.

Love qualified fifth Saturday and used that strong start to maintain a spot inside the top 10 for most of the afternoon. He never ran lower than 12th and averaged a seventh-place running position throughout the 208-lap distance.

The 20-year-old from Menlo Park, Calif., lined up fifth for the final restart, but struggled to wrap the bottom on the first lap of overtime and ended up fading to ninth at the checkered flag.

Still, it was the third top 10 in the first four races of the year for Love, who won the season opener at Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway in February and is essentially locked into the Xfinity Series playoffs.

“We had a solid race with the No. 2 Samsara Chevrolet. We fought a tight balance all day long, but Danny (Stockman) and our team worked to adjust the handling each chance we had,” said Love. “Our pit crew did a great job by gaining positions each stop. Once we went back racing though, our car kept building tight, causing me to lose spots as a result.

“It wasn’t everything we wanted it to be, but overall, it was a solid day to gain stage points and leave here with a top-10 finish,” Love added. “We will keep working and try to run even stronger next week. I’m proud of the work our Richard Childress Racing team is showing so far this season, and I feel confident we will be able to race for more wins soon.”

Love leaves Phoenix with a two-point edge over defending series champion Justin Allgaier, who was in position to win Saturday before getting loose from the lead on the final restart and dropping back to fifth.

That shift handed the regular season lead to Love, who hopes to use the early hot start to his season to propel himself into contention for an Xfinity Series championship in just his second year at NASCAR’s second-highest level.

“This is what me and Danny (Stockman, crew chief) told ourselves coming into the year that we wanted to do,” noted Love. “We wanted to be in contention every race. We wanted to put ourselves in contention for the regular season title right away. I know it’s only race four, but we’ve checked the boxes so far and we want to keep carrying this momentum.

“We’re headed to Las Vegas, which is a place I struggled at a bit last year, but it’s our first true intermediate (track) and you want to assert yourself at the mile-and-a-halves because they’re such a huge part of our calendar across the board,” he added. “If we can go have a good day there, I really feel confident about where this team is and the trajectory we’re on.”

Love and the rest of the Xfinity Series field continue the season Saturday, March 15 at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway. NASCAR Cup Series interloper John Hunter Nemechek won last year’s spring race in Sin City.

Broadcast coverage of the LiUNA! 300 at the 1.5-mile oval is slated for 4:30 p.m. ET, live on The CW, the Performance Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.