Brent Crews initiates damage control after ‘exaggerating’ Connor Zilisch and Jesse Love’s roles in his NASCAR team

Brent Crews has issued a clarification about Connor Zilisch and Jesse Love's involvement in his newly announced NASCAR Truck Series team, Brent Crew Motorsports. The TRICON Garage driver addressed the matter just moments before his ARCA Menards start at Iowa Speedway.

On Friday, August 1, The Athletic's Jeff Gluck reported that Crews' Truck Series team will debut at Watkins Glen International. However, confusions arose from the news, as the 17-year-old Toyota driver had remarked that Chevrolet drivers Zilisch and Love are part of his 'executive team.' Crews later offered an explanation through a post on X.

"Connor and Jesse are great friends of mine, but we went a little overboard in exaggerating their roles. To be clear, they have no official capacity, other than they are friends who want me to do well."

For his part, Jesse Love reaffirmed his place among the Chevrolet stable.

"There was a misunderstanding in conversations talking with Brent about me and Connor’s involvement with his new truck team at WGI. We all share a strong friendship. But I just wanted to be clear I’m not associated with any team outside of RCR or Chevy."

Love and Zilisch are up-and-coming talents in the Xfinity Series. While Zilisch drives for JR Motorsports, Love pilots Richard Childress Racing's #2 Chevy. Both drivers are ranked among the top 5 in their sophomore years at Xfinity, with Zilisch having a leg up at second, two spots ahead of the RCR driver.

Love recently made his fourth Cup Series start at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, finishing 24th with Beard Motorsports. Up next, he's scheduled to run RCR's #33 Chevy at Richmond Raceway.

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Jesse Love reflects on losing out to Zilisch at Pocono

Jesse Love and Connor Zilisch both began on the fifth row at Pocono Raceway, but the JRM driver ended up winning the race with a 34-lap lead. Love came in second but showed no signs of frustration and offered a measured response in his post-race comments.

"At the end of the day, I’m a competitor before anything else. So, it stings because I was the bridesmaid, but at the same time, life is more than just being a race car driver. Life is more beautiful than just that," he said via Frontstretch.

After a stellar win at Daytona 500, Jesse Love secured yet another win at Rockingham Speedway, but the result was waived after his car failed a post-race inspection. He was disqualified from the event, and JRM's Sammy Smith inherited the top spot.

Love clinched the pole in the following round at Talladega Superspeedway and went on to finish third. Since then, he has found himself among the top 10 more often than not but is yet to convert them into a race win.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua