20-YO Jesse Love's growing confidence at RCR fuels belief in Cup Series breakthrough

Jesse Love recently spoke about his development in the NASCAR Xfinity Series while eyeing a jump to the Cup Series in the future. The driver of the #2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet feels he's come a long way in his last two seasons in the Xfinity Series, and is hopeful to make the leap up to the Cup level in the future.

The 20-year-old sat down with motorsports insider Jeff Gluck for a "12 Questions" interview via The Athletic. When asked about the state of his career, the two-time Xfinity Series winner said there's a lot of moving parts, and knows that when he's doing well at this level, the rumors begin to spark about when he'll move up to Cup.

Love is appreciative of the conversations about a move to the Cup Series from both "rumor accounts" and fans. He then spoke about his progression in the Xfinity Series, saying:

"It’s been a dream forever, so to finally see that light is cool. I’ve progressed a lot over the last two years. Jumping straight to Xfinity from ARCA was a big jump, but I feel like I’ve started to turn the corner in terms of maximizing my car each week. I definitely want to win more races. My stats are really good all around — lots of second-place finishes, top-fives, the most top-10s in the series — but it’s hard to win at this level. I feel like we can accomplish that at RCR."

When pondering a full-time opportunity in the Cup Series, Jesse Love believes he's up for the challenge. The California native has made five starts in the Cup Series between RCR and Beard Motorsports.

"I feel like I’m well-prepared for a Cup seat. The biggest thing for me was proving I could make lap time in the Cup car, and I can definitely do that. With a couple more races, I can start to execute more and learn the flow of the weekend, and I’ll be really happy," Jesse Love said.

Jesse Love seeking Xfinity Series Championship 4 spot

NASCAR Xfinity: NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff Race at Charlotte ROVAL - Source: Imagn

Amid the talks about a move up to the NASCAR Cup Series, Jesse Love is chasing after a championship in the Xfinity Series. With the Round of 8 of the playoffs kicking off this Saturday night at Las Vegas, the driver of the #2 sits fifth in the points standings and trails the cut line by two points.

Love has one victory in 2025, which came in the season-opening race at Daytona. Since then, the Richard Childress Racing driver has posted eight top-five finishes and an average finish of 11.2.

Jesse Love is seeking his first career Championship 4 appearance in the Xfinity Series. In his rookie campaign last year, Love finished eighth in the points standings.