Defending NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Champion Shows Race-Winning Speed Before Late Incident Results in 17th-Place Finish

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Jesse Love had the speed to win Friday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.

For much of the Food City 300, the defending NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion looked like he might do exactly that.

Love started from the pole in the No. 2 Samsara Chevrolet Camaro for Richard Childress Racing and immediately took control, leading the opening 81 laps around the high-banked Bristol half-mile. He remained among the contenders throughout the night and ultimately led 84 laps before a late-race incident with Justin Allgaier changed the direction of an otherwise impressive performance.

After qualifying was canceled because of rain, Love was awarded the pole based on NASCAR’s metric and wasted little time showing that the No. 2 Chevrolet belonged at the front.

Love controlled the opening portion of the race before Allgaier worked past him in traffic late in Stage 1. Love finished fourth in the opening stage and remained firmly in contention during Stage 2, finishing third and continuing to position himself for a run at the victory.

As the laps wound down, Love once again found himself battling at the front.

Following a caution late in the race, Love lined up alongside Allgaier for a Lap 286 restart. Love got the launch he needed and the two defending series champions battled side-by-side for the lead.

Moments later, the complexion of Love’s night changed.

While racing Allgaier through Turns 3 and 4, Love made contact with the No. 7 Chevrolet, sending Allgaier into the outside wall and costing both drivers valuable track position.

Love immediately accepted responsibility.

“Honestly, I got caught up in the moment racing with him,” Love said following the race. “I came off Turn 4, we were side-by-side, and I needed to run my best corner.”

Instead, Love acknowledged that his focus shifted from executing the corner to battling Allgaier.

“I made a terrible decision that took ourselves out of contention to win,” Love said.

The contact dropped Love through the running order, and despite working to recover during the closing laps and overtime finish, he crossed the line 17th.

The finishing position, however, told only part of the story.

Love led 84 laps — second-most in the race — and once again demonstrated the speed of the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing team just one week after scoring its first victory of the season at World Wide Technology Raceway.

After three races in the Chase, Love sits fourth in the championship standings, 41 points behind leader Sheldon Creed with six races remaining.

There is still plenty of racing ahead.

The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series will take a week off before returning to competition October 3 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Focused Health 302.

For Love and the No. 2 team, Las Vegas represents an opportunity to put Bristol behind them and continue the defense of their NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series championship.

Bristol also marked the on-track debut of Samsara’s new brand identity.

The company introduced its “Built with operators” identity through a new look on Love’s No. 2 Chevrolet, along with his firesuit, helmet and team apparel. The Bristol race was the first of two primary sponsorship events for Samsara during the 2026 season, with the company scheduled to return to the No. 2 Chevrolet at Talladega Superspeedway.

ABOUT JESSE LOVE

Jesse Love, 21, is the defending 2025 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion and the 2023 ARCA Menards Series champion. Competing full-time for Richard Childress Racing in the No. 2 Chevrolet Camaro, Love has quickly established himself as one of NASCAR’s rising young drivers. After earning NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Rookie of the Year honors in 2024, Love captured the series championship in his second full season in 2025 and returned in 2026 looking to defend his title.

ABOUT RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING

Richard Childress Racing is one of NASCAR’s most storied organizations, with a history spanning more than five decades and championships across NASCAR’s national series. Based in Welcome, North Carolina, RCR competes in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series while continuing a tradition built around competition, innovation and winning.

ABOUT SAMSARA

Samsara Inc. (NYSE: IOT) is the pioneer of the Connected Operations® Platform, an open platform that connects people, devices and systems across physical operations. Samsara serves tens of thousands of customers across industries including transportation, construction, logistics, manufacturing, utilities, government, healthcare and others, with a mission to increase the safety, efficiency and sustainability of the operations that power the global economy.

MEDIA CONTACT

Rod Wortham
Race Face Brand Development
rod@racefacebd.com
racefacebranddevelopment.com