ARCA champ Jesse Love to join RCR Xfinity team

Love dominated the 2023 ARCA Menards Series season, winning ten of 20 races en route to the title. The teenager is also a 2x ARCA West champion, earning the crown in both 2020 and 2021. In fact, he is the youngest champion in NASCAR history.

He's also made two starts in the NASCAR Truck Series this year, finishing ninth on debut at Gateway and 13th at Kansas.

He replaces Sheldon Creed at RCR, who recently announced that he and RCR will part ways at the end of the 2023 season. Whelen Engineering will continue as the primary sponsor of the No. 2 RCR Chevrolet.

“We’ve been watching Jesse for a while now and his breakout performance in the ARCA Menards Series was impressive this season,” said Richard Childress, Chairman and CEO of RCR. “We know that he has the talent and determination to win races and compete for championships within RCR’s NASCAR Xfinity Series program. We are looking forward to welcoming Whelen back for another year on the No. 2 program and feel confident that Jesse will be a strong ambassador for Whelen.”

Added Love: I’ve been fortunate to gain a lot of racing experience at a young age, but nothing compares to the opportunity to race for a legendary team like Richard Childress Racing. I have so much respect for Richard Childress and am extremely grateful to be able to race and learn with one of the most successful teams in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. I’ve dreamed of racing at the highest levels of the sport since I was a young kid, and the path to the NASCAR Cup Series seems more clear with this opportunity. It’s even more special to be able to represent a company like Whelen who has a long-standing involvement in motorsports and strong focus on building American-made products.”