"My career could change": Jesse Love ready for defining moment in NASCAR Xfinity championship fight

Jesse Love is ready to forward his 'best performance' because he believes his career depends on it. The Richard Childress Racing No. 2 Chevrolet driver entered the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship 4 as the fourth and last seed after last week's Round of 8 elimination race at Martinsville Speedway.

This weekend, he will compete alongside JR Motorsports rookie Connor Zilisch, defending champion Justin Allgaier, and Carson Kvapil at Phoenix Raceway. In a recent appearance on the SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, the 22-year-old reflected on what's at stake for him at the series finale race.

"I'm definitely going to race different than I have, you know, all year. I know that my life can change on Saturday night. My career could change on Saturday night based off of the decisions I make, the moves I make, and the speed I have, and all that stuff. So I'm very aware of what's at stake and, you know, the price you have to pay to have that success and what that could do for the rest of my life," Jesse Love said.

Love has recorded just one win so far. He won the season-opening race at Daytona and has seven other top-five finishes this season.

His results at Phoenix have remained strong. In three starts at the 1-mile oval, Love has three top-10 finishes, including a runner-up finish in 2024. Earlier this season, he started fifth and finished the Phoenix spring race in ninth place.

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2024 Rookie of the Year, Jesse Love looking for the 2025 Xfinity Championship

Jesse Love is in his second full-time NASCAR Xfinity season. He debuted with Richard Childress Racing last season and won the 2024 Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year. The team also announced his return to the No. 2 Chevy for the 2026 season.

Last year, Love finished 8th in overall points standings, but this year, he has secured his spot in the Championship 4 despite a challenging night last week. He started the race at Martinsville Speedway in 21st position and faced multiple early penalties. The California native lacked strong speed for much of the race, but his healthy points cushion heading into the race allowed him to reach the final playoff round after his 23rd-place finish.

"I'm going to show up and be the best Jesse Love that I can be. I try to have my best performance that I've ever had and if I can do that, then I know I'll have a shot at winning the championship," Jesse Love said during the same interview.

Meanwhile, the 2025 Xfinity Series' final race is set to start at 7:30 pm EST on Saturday, November. The final stage of the race will be broadcast advertisement-free as a gift from Xfinity, which will leave its title sponsorship of the series after this season.

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Edited by Riddhiman Sarkar