Love Tackling Texas-Sized Challenge In Beard No. 62

Jesse Love (Photo Courtesy of Beard Motorsports)

FORT WORTH, Texas – They say everything is bigger in Texas, and that’s certainly the case for Jesse Love’s driving schedule as he heads to Texas Motor Speedway.

Twenty-year-old Love is set for a return to the NASCAR Cup Series, making his second series start and his first appearance with Beard Motorsports in Sunday’s Wurth 400 at the 1.5-mile quad-oval.

Love will wheel the family-run Beard team’s No. 62 Chevrolet in the Lone Star State, part of a weekend doubleheader for the Menlo Park, Calif., driver that also includes his regular NASCAR Xfinity Series duties with Richard Childress Racing.

Not only will Sunday’s Wurth 400 mark the first appearance at Texas for Beard Motorsports, it will also be the first Cup Series visit to Texas for Love, who debuted at stock car racing’s premier level back in March at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway with RCR.

That race was a learning experience for Love, who finished 31st at The Last Great Colosseum, but he’s hoping to find improvement this weekend as he heads to The Great American Speedway.

“Making my Cup Series debut at Bristol was a moment that I had been working toward my entire life. I learned a ton and was really grateful to have that opportunity,” said Love. “Going into Bristol, I was a little worried about being overwhelmed and what it would be like to get in the car with my emotions. I feel like I did a good job of managing that and was able to execute in the car.

“As excited as I was to get that first start, it’s also now out of the way so I feel like I’m even more ready for Texas now that I have that first start.”

The biggest thing that Love said was “eye-opening” during his Cup Series debut was the depth of competition in the field compared to the Xfinity Series.

He knew it would be hard-fought at the sport’s top echelon, but Love still said it took some getting used to once he was out on track.

“I knew the depth of the competition would be so much more than what we see in the Xfinity Series. I am racing against guys that I think are really good. They’re good at what they do and they don’t make a lot of mistakes,” he pointed out. “It was a big deal for me to get in the Cup car and get that experience of racing against that level of talent.

“I felt really comfortable in the car and really can’t wait to get back behind the wheel and do more.”

Love’s Xfinity Series experience at Texas is limited, with just one start at Texas during his rookie season, but he did earn the pole there last April and finished ninth on race day.

He’ll have 300 miles Saturday in RCR’s familiar No. 2 Chevrolet before strapping in for 400 more miles in the Cup Series Sunday afternoon. It’s something Love is putting plenty of preparation in to prepare for.

“I’m doing a lot of the same things I did to get ready for Bristol. I’ve been logging laps on the simulator and doing some iRacing – just spending some time getting familiar with the track. I feel pretty confident about the fitness part of it and will be ready for the longer distance, so I should be fine,” said Love. “Texas may not be as physically demanding because it’s not a short track, but the heat will be more demanding and that will make it a bigger challenge compared to Bristol. And Texas is a tough track. It’s really fast.”

What are the goals? Similar to his Cup Series debut at Bristol, Love isn’t focusing so much on the end result on paper as much as controlling the things he can control behind the wheel, namely executing a clean race.

“The goal will be to keep collecting experience and learning the Cup car. I am at a point where I focus more on the execution part, running all of the laps and feeling confident that if I do my very best job, then I can leave the racetrack with a good result that will satisfy me and the team,” he explained. “Racing in the Cup Series full time is the dream, so to get this opportunity with Beard Motorsports is great. But these opportunities won’t be here if I don’t perform.

“Both of the races I am racing for Beard at Texas and Indy will allow me to gain knowledge of how this car races at different tracks and hopefully set me up to pounce on future opportunities.”

Just as the brand did at Bristol in March, C4 Energy – America’s fastest-growing energy drink brand – will sponsor Love as he tackles the challenge of racing at Texas in the Cup Series.

Sunday marks the first time in Beard Motorsports’ history that the organization will compete in back-to-back Cup Series races.

The team raced at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway with Anthony Alfredo and led 19 laps – more thank doubling its career laps led total – before Alfredo ran out of fuel on the final lap and finished 28th.

Prior to his Cup Series return, Love will race in the Xfinity Series Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 at Texas, airing Saturday, May 3 at 2 p.m. ET on The CW, the Performance Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

Then the Wurth 400 – and Love’s first race with Beard Motorsports – takes center stage Sunday, May 4 at 3:30 p.m. ET, live on FS1, PRN, and SiriusXM channel 90.