Jesse Love Bio
Jesshill Michael Gregory Love Jr., known professionally as Jesse Love, is an American professional stock car racing driver born on January 14, 2005, in Menlo Park, California. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 2 Chevrolet Camaro SS for Richard Childress Racing. Love first gained national attention as a teenage prodigy in the ARCA Menards Series West, where he became the youngest winner in series history and one of the youngest winners in any NASCAR-sanctioned event. He has since added an ARCA Menards Series national championship and a NASCAR Xfinity Series championship to his résumé, cementing his reputation as one of the most decorated young drivers in American motorsports.
Early Life and Background
Jesse Love was born on January 14, 2005, in Menlo Park, California, and raised in a family with deep ties to racing and business. He is the son of Elizabeth Love and Jesshill Love, and is of partial Mexican descent through his mother, who was raised in Mexico City. His father raced midget cars in his youth and later built a career as a real estate investor and lawyer, eventually becoming the chief executive officer of three real estate portfolios in California and the chief executive officer of HomeSmiles, a property maintenance company that supports Jesse’s racing endeavors.
Love began racing at age five, quickly progressing through the Quarter Midgets of America Series, where he won multiple races and championships before turning ten. He later won championships in three different divisions of USAC in the same year, becoming the first driver to accomplish that feat. By thirteen, he was granted an age waiver to compete in the RPM Pro Late Model Series at Madera Speedway, and in 2018 he won championships in the INEX Legend Car Racing Series, the BCRA Midget Series, and the Hunt Magneto Sprint Car Series.
Path to NASCAR
Love’s path to NASCAR accelerated in 2019 when he drove for Keith Kunz Motorsports in the SRL Southwest Tour, a prominent late model racing series. That exposure helped him secure a full-time ride in the ARCA Menards Series West with Bill McAnally Racing for the 2020 season. Replacing Hailie Deegan in the No. 19 Toyota, Love immediately justified the promotion by becoming the youngest West Series winner in history and capturing the series championship.
He followed that championship with a second ARCA West title in 2021, while also running a partial schedule in the national ARCA Menards Series with Venturini Motorsports. A full-time national ARCA campaign followed, and Love steadily built the résumé that would later convince Richard Childress Racing to promote him into the NASCAR Xfinity Series for the 2024 season.
Jesse Love Career
Early Career (2016–2019)
Love’s early career was defined by a rapid climb through youth and open-wheel racing ranks. He won the USAC Speed2 Western US Dirt Midget Series championship in 2016 and 2017, the USAC Speed2 Western US Asphalt Midget Series championship in 2017, and the Bay Cities Racing Association Midgets championship in 2018. In 2018 alone, he won five of eight INEX Legend Car Series races to claim that championship.
The following year, Love transitioned to stock cars by joining Keith Kunz Motorsports in the SRL Southwest Tour. The late model experience prepared him for the heavier, more physically demanding ARCA Menards Series West cars and laid the foundation for his record-breaking 2020 rookie campaign.
ARCA Menards Series West Breakthrough (2020–2021)
On January 14, 2020, Bill McAnally Racing announced Love as a full-time West Series driver in the No. 19 Toyota. After finishing second in the Las Vegas Bullring opener, Love won his first West Series race at the Utah Motorsports Campus road course on June 27, becoming the youngest winner in ARCA West history at 15 years, 5 months, and 13 days old. He closed the season with three wins and nine top-five finishes in eleven races, beating Blaine Perkins for the championship and becoming the youngest West Series champion at 15 years, 9 months, and 24 days.
He returned to Bill McAnally Racing in 2021, moving to the No. 16 Toyota, and secured his second consecutive ARCA Menards Series West championship. Love also ran a nine-race national ARCA Menards Series schedule with Venturini Motorsports, picking up his first national series victory at Salem Speedway after outdueling Ty Gibbs on a late restart.
ARCA Menards Series Breakthrough (2022–2023)
Venturini Motorsports brought Love back for the majority of the 2022 ARCA Menards Series schedule. He responded with eight top-five finishes, twelve top-ten finishes, and a dominant win at the Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetracks in which he led every lap. Those numbers convinced the team to promote him to a full-time ride for 2023.
The 2023 season became Love’s defining ARCA campaign. He earned ten wins, eighteen top-ten finishes, and seventeen top-five finishes, locking up the ARCA Menards Series championship one race early at Salem Speedway simply by taking the green flag. The title made him a champion in two different ARCA divisions in just four years.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Debut (2023)
On February 9, 2023, Tricon Garage announced Love for a three-race NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule in the No. 1 Toyota. He made his series debut at World Wide Technology Raceway after stepping into the No. 11 truck when Corey Heim fell ill, finishing ninth. Love’s second start came at Kansas Speedway, where he finished thirteenth, giving him valuable seat time in NASCAR’s national touring series.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Breakthrough (2024)
On October 25, 2023, Richard Childress Racing announced Love as the full-time driver of the No. 2 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for 2024, replacing Sheldon Creed. He opened the season by winning the pole at Daytona, leading a race-high 34 laps, and winning the first stage before a wreck in stage two relegated him to a twentieth-place finish. The following week at Atlanta, Love swept both stages and led 157 of 163 laps before running out of fuel on the final overtime restart and finishing twelfth.
He responded with a career-best second-place finish at Phoenix Raceway and a streak of four consecutive top-ten finishes, capped by a pole at Texas Motor Speedway. At Talladega Superspeedway, Love scored his first career Xfinity Series victory, holding off the field on an overtime restart. He was named the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year.
NASCAR Cup Series Debut (2025)
On March 28, 2025, Richard Childress Racing announced Love would make his NASCAR Cup Series debut at Bristol Motor Speedway in the No. 33 Chevrolet. He started nineteenth but finished thirty-first, five laps down. On April 16, 2025, the team confirmed Love would also drive the No. 62 Chevrolet for Beard Motorsports at Texas Motor Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, gaining additional Cup Series experience.
Richard Childress Racing Championship Era (2025–Present)
Love began the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season with a win at Daytona International Speedway, signalling that his sophomore campaign would be a title fight. Two months later he won at Rockingham Speedway, but the victory was taken away after post-race inspection failed and Sammy Smith was declared the winner. Love stayed consistent throughout the playoffs and ultimately sealed the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship with a win at Phoenix Raceway.
Driving Style and Strengths
Love has built his reputation on superspeedway aggression and late-race poise. His ability to control restarts, as shown at Talladega in 2024 and Daytona in 2025, has become a defining trait. His stock car background, refined across ARCA’s full schedule, has also made him a reliable short-track and intermediate-track racer, capable of grinding out top-ten finishes when outright pace is limited.
Notable Races and Milestones
Love’s most memorable moments include his 2020 ARCA West victory at Utah Motorsports Campus that set the youngest-winner record, his 2023 ARCA championship-clinching run at Salem, his first Xfinity win at Talladega in 2024, and his championship-clinching win at Phoenix in 2025. Each milestone came on a different style of track, underscoring his versatility.
Jesse Love Career Wins
Jesse Love has built a championship-rich résumé across multiple divisions of American motorsports. In addition to his three ARCA championships, he has collected victories in the ARCA Menards Series West, the ARCA Menards Series, and the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
ARCA Menards Series Highlights
Love won ten races during his 2023 ARCA Menards Series championship campaign with Venturini Motorsports, locking up the title at Salem Speedway. He added a national ARCA victory at Salem in 2021 and another at the Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetracks in 2022, where he led every lap.
ARCA Menards Series West Highlights
Love won three ARCA Menards Series West races during his 2020 championship season, including his record-setting debut win at Utah Motorsports Campus. He followed that with a second West Series championship in 2021 while driving the No. 16 Toyota for Bill McAnally Racing.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Highlights
Love opened his Xfinity Series win account with a Talladega victory in 2024 and added a 2025 Daytona win, a Rockingham win that was later disallowed, and a championship-sealing victory at Phoenix in 2025 to claim the series title.
Other Wins and Performances
Love’s earlier résumé includes championships in the USAC Speed2 Western US Dirt Midget Series in 2016 and 2017, the USAC Speed2 Western US Asphalt Midget Series in 2017, the Bay Cities Racing Association Midgets in 2018, and the INEX Legend Car Racing Series, BCRA Midget Series, and Hunt Magneto Sprint Car Series in 2018.
| Series | Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARCA Menards Series | 11 | 30 | N/A |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series | 3 | Multiple | 3 |
Jesse Love Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Jesse Love comes from a family with both racing heritage and business experience. His father, Jesshill Love, raced midget cars in his youth before building a career as a real estate investor and lawyer, and his mother, Elizabeth Love, was raised in Mexico City, giving Jesse partial Mexican heritage. His father is the chief executive officer of three California real estate portfolios, a former president of the Silicon Valley Chapter of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization, and the chief executive officer of HomeSmiles, a property maintenance company that supports Jesse’s racing.
Personal Life
Jesse Love continues to focus on his racing career while balancing his education and family responsibilities. He has spoken openly about the role his parents have played in supporting his motorsports journey, and he maintains a close relationship with the team at Richard Childress Racing as he builds his professional future in NASCAR.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season was a breakthrough year for Jesse Love. He opened the year with a win at Daytona International Speedway and stayed near the top of the standings throughout the spring. A Rockingham Speedway victory was taken away after his car failed post-race inspection, but he continued to post strong finishes and remained a fixture in the playoff picture.
Love stayed consistent throughout the playoffs, avoiding the big mistakes that ended the title hopes of several contenders. Heading into the championship weekend at Phoenix Raceway, he was among the four drivers still eligible for the title. In the season finale, Love led the field and held off his rivals to win the race and the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship, becoming one of the youngest series champions in recent memory.
The title adds to an already historic résumé that includes the 2023 ARCA Menards Series championship, the 2020 and 2021 ARCA Menards Series West championships, and his 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year award. Love also made his NASCAR Cup Series debut at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2025 and added starts at Texas and Indianapolis, signaling a long-term plan to expand into NASCAR’s top level alongside his Xfinity commitments.