JESSE LOVE TAKES CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT TO HOMESTEAD

November 1, 2026

JESSE LOVE FACES HOMESTEAD COMEBACK AFTER MARTINSVILLE SETBACK

Whelen Chevrolet Finishes 30th as Defending Champion Heads to Season Finale 22 Points Behind

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (November 1, 2026) — Jesse Love's pursuit of a second consecutive NASCAR championship will come down to a comeback at Homestead-Miami Speedway after a difficult Saturday at Martinsville. The Richard Childress Racing driver finished 30th in the National Debt Relief 250, completing the afternoon in his No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet after a late-race crash and leaving the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series next-to-last race second in the standings.

A 19-point championship lead entering Martinsville became a 22-point deficit to Justin Allgaier by the checkered flag. With one race remaining, the defending champion now heads to South Florida chasing the points lead rather than protecting it.

Love began the 250-lap race from eighth and made early progress on the tight Virginia short track. He finished the opening stage fifth, collecting six points and placing the Whelen Chevrolet among the front-runners as the afternoon developed.

The middle portion of the race brought a succession of problems. Love was boxed in during a Stage 2 pit stop, then dealt with a smoking right-front tire, a tire rub and an eventual flat. Multiple stops under caution interrupted his progress, and a broken water line added to the difficulties. He finished Stage 2 outside the top 10 and received no additional stage points.

Love was running 20th at Lap 200, but his afternoon took another turn when a brake failure sent the No. 2 spinning into the Turn 1 wall, bringing out the race's final caution on Lap 220. Love remained in the race but finished nine laps behind the leaders, completing 241 of 250 laps. He earned 13 points for the afternoon.

Carson Kvapil won by 0.434 seconds over Justin Allgaier, whose runner-up finish and 19 stage points changed the championship picture. Allgaier now leads with 2,436 points, while Love has 2,414. Corey Day is just one point behind Love in third, while Kvapil and Sheldon Creed remain in contention at 31 and 42 points behind Allgaier, respectively. The championship battle reaches Homestead with five drivers still in the hunt.

The result leaves a clear challenge for Love and crew chief Danny Stockman Jr. at Homestead: recover a 22-point deficit with one race remaining. Love's season record includes two victories, 12 top-five finishes and 18 top-10 results through 32 starts, but the final afternoon of the season will determine whether his championship defense ends with another title.

Love was already looking toward that opportunity after the race.

“Everybody’s going to ask me how am I going to process this, and how long I’m going to be upset about it, and I’m pretty much already over it,” Love told NASCAR.com.

His focus was on preparing for Homestead, not dwelling on the problems that had changed the standings.

“So yeah, just put our eggs in one basket, go to Homestead with a chance to win, and prepare to do so, and I feel very confident in that moment,” Love said.

Up Next

The NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series concludes its 2026 season at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday, November 7. The 200-lap championship race is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET, with television coverage on The CW and radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

About Jesse Love

Jesse Love is a professional NASCAR driver from Menlo Park, California, competing in the No. 2 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. His progression from quarter-midget racing includes consecutive ARCA Menards Series West championships in 2020 and 2021 and the national ARCA Menards Series championship in 2023. Love earned NASCAR Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year honors in 2024 and won the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship. He returned to RCR in 2026 to defend that title in the renamed NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series.

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, the organization became the first team to win championships in all three of NASCAR's national touring series.

RCR fields Jesse Love's No. 2 Chevrolet and Austin Hill's No. 21 Chevrolet in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series. Danny Stockman Jr. serves as crew chief of Love's team, which earned the 2025 Xfinity Series championship. The organization's Welcome campus combines race-car manufacturing, engineering and competition operations. For more information, visit www.rcrracing.com.

About Whelen

Whelen manufactures lighting, sirens and control systems for first responders and other demanding vehicle applications. Its products serve law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services, transportation departments and commercial fleets. The company's range includes lightbars, scene lighting, warning beacons and programmable control systems designed to support visibility and coordinated warning functions. Whelen was the primary sponsor of Love's No. 2 Chevrolet at Martinsville. For more information, visit www.whelen.com.