Richard Childress Racing can breathe a sigh of relief after announcing that NASCAR Xfinity Series title hopeful Jesse Love is set to remain with the team for a further season.
The 20-year-old has impressed during his two years at the wheel of the No. 2 Chevrolet, winning twice along with 13 top fives and a further 24 top 10s. In fact, Love’s remarkable consistency has led him to finish outside of the top 10 on just 10 occasions in 2025.
Combine this with Love’s five outings in the Cup Series this season, twice a piece for RCR, where he drove alongside Kyle Busch, and Beard Motorsports, and the fight for his signature appeared to be on. Along with RCR, Jimmie Johnson’s Legacy Motor Club was also touted as a possible landing spot for 2026, given his previous links with Toyota during his Craftsman Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series tenures, as per Fox Sports.
Despite this supposed interest, and even though Legacy does appear to be set to expand to three teams after its charter dispute with Rick Ware Racing came to a close, Love will be sticking it out with RCR.
“I’m proud to continue my relationship with Richard Childress Racing and Whelen Engineering (Love’s anchor sponsor) and look forward to building upon our already strong foundation,” Love said. “Whelen’s strong commitment to motorsports is unmatched. Thank you to Sonny, Geoff, Peter, and everyone at Whelen for their faith in me. My goal is to go out and win races and championships for RCR and Whelen.”
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Whelen’s decision to remain the sponsor for Love was also announced on Friday, leading team president Mike Verlander to comment, “Whelen’s unwavering commitment to motorsports and their focus on providing unsurpassed safety solutions to the communities they serve makes them a leader in their industry and everyone at RCR is proud to continue our partnership.
“Jesse is a talented young racer that aligns with Whelen’s core mission and values. He has been a great ambassador for Whelen both on and off the track and we look forward to achieving more together in 2026.”
What this means for Love’s Cup Series career remains to be seen, with RCR yet to confirm if he will participate in any races next season, giving him further opportunity to pick the brains of an already impressed Busch.
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Meanwhile, Love will remain focused on the ongoing Xfinity Series Playoffs, with the youngster entering the Round of 8 finale at Martinsville 40 points clear of the cutoff line in third, ahead of JR Motorsports’ Carson Kvapil, 29 points below him.
JRM’s Sammy Smith, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Brandon Jones, and the Haas Factory Team duo of Sam Mayer and Sheldon Creed all remain in the hunt. As for JRM’s Connor Zilisch and Justin Allgaier, the reigning champion, they have already both stamped their tickets to the championship four.