Whelen driver caps two-win season with 13 top-five finishes, completing three-year RCR chapter before moving to Wood Brothers Racing in 2027

HOMESTEAD, Fla. (November 8, 2026) — Jesse Love finished fourth in Saturday’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, securing second in the championship standings and closing his title defense just 14 points short of a repeat crown. Driving the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, Love earned points in both stages and recovered from a difficult final restart to end the season with another top-five finish.

Love started fourth in the 200-lap event, entering the afternoon 22 points behind championship leader Justin Allgaier. He remained among the front-runners throughout the opening half, finishing third in both stages to collect 16 stage points. Those results trimmed six points from the championship deficit, keeping Love and crew chief Danny Stockman Jr. in the title fight as the race moved into its final stage. Love also led four laps, taking the Whelen Chevrolet to the front for Laps 50–53.

The final restart proved to be the team’s biggest challenge. Running third before the field returned to green, Love lost ground on slightly older tires and slipped to seventh. With the final 49 laps running without another caution, he worked his way back to fourth but could not recover enough positions to close the championship gap.

Brandon Jones won the finale ahead of Carson Kvapil and Brent Crews, with Love completing all 200 laps and earning 49 points. Allgaier finished seventh to secure the championship with 2,477 points, while Love ended the year with 2,463.

Homestead marked Love’s fifth top-five finish in the final six races, including third-place results at Las Vegas and Talladega, a runner-up finish at Charlotte, and a victory at Phoenix. That late-season performance helped carry his championship defense to the final weekend.

Across 33 starts, Love recorded two victories, 13 top-five finishes, 19 top-10 results, three poles and six stage wins. His victories came at World Wide Technology Raceway and Phoenix Raceway, while his 778 laps led and 13 top-five finishes established personal bests for a season in the series.

The finish also ended Love’s three-year run as RCR’s full-time No. 2 driver. Paired with Stockman throughout that stretch, Love progressed from 2024 Rookie of the Year honors to the 2025 series championship and a runner-up championship finish in 2026. Together, they earned five victories while preparing Love for the next step in his NASCAR career.

After Saturday’s race, Love walked down pit road to embrace members of his team before completing his post-race interviews. The disappointment of narrowly missing another championship was accompanied by appreciation for the people who had shared those three seasons with him.

“At the end of the day, the company you keep on journeys like this sometimes matters more than the destination of it all,” Love said.

Love emphasized that his gratitude for the No. 2 team helped soften the disappointment. He also expressed his determination to learn from the experience and return stronger — a mindset he will carry into his first full-time NASCAR Cup Series season with Wood Brothers Racing.

Up Next

Love will join Wood Brothers Racing to drive the No. 21 Ford Mustang in the 2027 NASCAR Cup Series. His rookie campaign with the organization will begin with the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.

About Jesse Love

Jesse Love is a professional NASCAR driver from Menlo Park, California. His accomplishments include consecutive ARCA Menards Series West championships in 2020 and 2021, the 2023 ARCA Menards Series championship, 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year honors and the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship. Love finished second in the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series standings with Richard Childress Racing before advancing to a full-time NASCAR Cup Series opportunity with Wood Brothers Racing for 2027.

About Richard Childress Racing

Founded in 1969 and based in Welcome, North Carolina, Richard Childress Racing competes in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. Led by Richard Childress, RCR became the first organization to win championships in all three NASCAR national touring series. Its 2026 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series lineup featured Jesse Love in the No. 2 Chevrolet and Austin Hill in the No. 21 Chevrolet.

About Whelen

Founded in 1952, Whelen Engineering designs and manufactures emergency warning products and technology, including lighting, sirens and control systems used by first responders and other professionals. With facilities in Chester, Connecticut, and Charlestown, New Hampshire, Whelen’s products are manufactured in America. Whelen sponsored Love’s No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet in the Homestead season finale.

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