“I’m not too worried about it”: RCR star Jesse Love sends a crystal clear message as he eyes the Round of 8 spot in Kansas 

Richard Childress Racing Xfinity Series driver Jesse Love recently sat down for an interview with Jayski.com ahead of the Kansas Speedway race. During the pre-race interview, Love sent a clear message about locking in a spot for the next phase of the playoffs.

The #2 RCR driver had an unsatisfactory finish during the first race of the Round of 12 at Bristol Motor Speedway. He qualified ninth for the race but finished outside of the top 20 drivers on the grid. This had a great impact on his chances of securing a spot in the Round of Eight.

Despite that, Jesse Love is in high spirits ahead of the Kansas Lottery 300. He believes he is familiar with the track from his ARCA racing days and even secured the pole position at the track. Additionally, Love qualified seventh at the track last year and finished the race in ninth place.

Reflecting on the same, Love told the media house:

“We’re looking forward to Kansas. I feel like it’s a track I’ve had some good success at in the past. I’ve won a race or two there before. It wasn’t great for us last year, but I think we have made some good changes going into this year."

“So, I’m looking forward to it. Hopefully, the track is similar to last year, and we can get up and move up on the top side; we can run the fence. We’re on the outside looking in (for the Round of 8), and I’m not too worried about it, but we still need to have a good run,” he added.

However, securing a spot in the next phase of the playoffs is a bit tricky at Kansas Speedway, as Joe Gibbs Racing driver Taylor Gray is three points above the current cutoff line. Meanwhile, Jesse Love and Nick Sanchez both sit three points below the cutoff line.

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"Would rather be lucky than good": When Jesse Love reflected on his maiden Xfinity Series triumph

NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Jesse Love made his first appearance in the series with Richard Childress Racing in 2024. Currently, he is in his sophomore year with the team and secured his maiden victory last year at Talladega Superspeedway. Following that, earlier in April, ahead of this season's race, he recalled how he won his first race.

The #2 Chevy driver had clear intentions of winning the race from the qualifying session. He secured a spot among the top five drivers during the session and began the race from one place behind the pole sitter and his teammate, Austin Hill. He completed the 2.660-mile tri-oval superspeedway lap with a best time of 52.871 seconds, achieving a top speed of 181.120 mph.

However, the race was filled with chaos, and a bold decision worked in Jesse Love's favor. While everyone went into the pits to refuel, Love decided to stay on track and take the lead. This judgment call led to Love's maiden win in the series. Later, he recalled the same and stated (via @nascarxftinityonthecw/Instagram):

"I'd always rather be lucky than good, and I kind of lucked out a little bit this race. I was so caught up in the moment of trying to win my first XFINITY race. Number one rule is Speedway, right? Don't get too far out. Luckily, my car was fast enough. I was able to kind of make up for that mistake. They were coming off turn four here. I remember Brennan Poole got to my outside. I knew that if I could run him up off of four, I'd have all this distance to take."

Jesse Love has completed 60 races in the Xfinity Series with Richard Childress Racing, piloting the #2 Chevy. He has secured two wins, 15 top-five finishes, and 36 top-ten finishes for the team in his two-year stint. Additionally, he has an average finish of 11.7 and an average start of 9.3.