NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Jesse Love wants to one day test himself in the Repco Supercars Championship but feels he still needs to prove himself in Super2 first.
Love did a fine job competing for Image Racing in Supercars’ second-tier series last weekend in Adelaide.
Having made progress throughout practice, Love outqualified regulars Bradi Owen, Ayrton Hodson and Ryan Tomsett for the Saturday race before the latter qualifying hitout was washed out.
A broken shock absorber ruined Love’s debut race, but he fared well in the Sunday contest, impressing in wheel-to-wheel combat to finish 14th.
“It’s been really tough, probably harder than what I predicted it to be,” he said.
Pic: Mark Walker
“But again I have a new perspective on road racing and what’s good and great in a road car.
“I’ve definitely had a lot of fun learning and adapting, but still I think I had some expectations coming into it that has kind of ruined a bit of the fun factor for me because obviously I’m not quite in contention to win.
“Hopefully we’ll get another shot at it in the future.”
Asked if he’d like to return in the main game, Love responded: “I think my answer is yes and no.
Pic: Mark Walker
“I 1000 percent want to race in the main game eventually but I’m also very aware and respectful of how good the main game drivers are and quite frankly if I haven’t earned that opportunity by running well in Super2, then I don’t feel like I deserve to go up into a main game car and run rubbish.
“Hopefully I can come again maybe a couple more times and then once I’m competitive and I feel like I can fight for a win in Super2, then I 100 percent want to go to the main game.
“But I just feel like it would be kind of childish to say ‘oh yeah I’m ready to go hop in a main game car’. It’s almost quite disrespectful to do that.”
The 20-year-old Californian was not backward in expressing his admiration for Supercars’ stars and laughed he hopes more do not come to NASCAR out of fear of being beaten.
Pic: Mark Walker
“They are operating at such a higher level than what we’re used to in the States and NASCAR on a road course,” he said.
“I’m sure a lot of NASCAR drivers would scoff at that until they come and do it, and then they would kind of have an eye-opening experience like I’ve had.”
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The 2026 NASCAR season finishes on November 8 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Supercars will have two rounds after that: the Sandown semi-finals (November 13-15) and Adelaide Grand Final (November 26-29), both of which will be supported by Super2.
Pic: Mark Walker