NASCAR News: Jesse Love wins Daytona Xfinity race

Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet driver Jesse Love held off Haas Factory Team Ford drivers Sam Mayer and Sheldon Creed to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series season opener in overtime at Daytona International Speedway.

In a typically crashfest finish at Daytona International Speedway, Love won the United Rentals 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series season-opener in overtime – taking the white flag moments before a massive multi-car accident behind him brought out a caution officially ending the race.

It was the 20-year old Californian’s second career win.

“So many people have helped me get to this point,” said Love, who led three times for 30 laps on the evening.

“Not sure what happened to the 21 (his teammate Austin Hill) tonight, but he was really dominant tonight,” Love continued. “We’re working on changing our culture here at RCR. We’re winners, we know we are and we really want to win a championship for Richard Childress. I’m ready to go to [the next race at] Atlanta now.”

Love put his Chevrolet out front on the final three re-starts, exchanging the point briefly with Haas Factory Team’s Sheldon Creed before taking the position for good with 18 laps remaining and ultimately holding off the Haas drivers Sam Mayer and Creed. Rookies Carson Kvapil and Taylor Gray were just behind rounding out the top-five.

As Love indicated, for most of the early race, it looked as if his teammate, three-time defending race winner Hill was going to turn in an incredible fourth straight win in the season-opener. He won both Stage 1 and 2 and led 56 of the opening 82 laps – the most laps out front on the night. Together Love and Hill led all but 40 of the race’s 126 laps

Hill’s No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, however, had engine issues shortly after the second stage break – Hill reporting smoke inside his cockpit and other drivers saying his car was leaking fluid out the back.

Although Hill stayed out front, he pit with a handful of other Chevrolets on Lap 80 and when the RCR team checked under the hood, it was apparent the issue was terminal.

The team declared the car done, reiterating to their driver it wasn’t “for lack of effort” on the night.

“Such a bummer, we had such a fast Chevrolet,” Hill said after parking his car in the garage. “Everybody at RCR and ECR did a great job building this race car. We showed we were the dominant team again getting the stage wins there. I just wish that we could have lost this race on our terms, not from a mechanical failure.

“I’d almost rather get turned on the backstretch on the white flag lap and end up on my lid than have it end like this. This one is going to sting a little bit, but we have Atlanta next week and I feel like we’re going to be good all year long in 2025. I feel really good about this team.”

The two rookies who finished inside the top-five were indicative of a strong showing for the large first-year class. Several were eliminated while running inside the top-10 on track – from Daniel Dye in the race’s opening accident to highly-touted series newcomers Connor Zilisch, William Sawalich and Christian Eckes who were all collected in an accident with three laps remaining in regulation – all running in the top-10 at the time.

Last summer’s NASCAR Cup Series Daytona race winner Harrison Burton finished sixth in his return to full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series racing. Jordan Anderson, Dean Thompson, Jeremy Clements and Patrick Emerling rounded out the top-10 in a race that saw 11 different leaders and 24 lead change on the 2.5-mile Daytona high banks.

Clements set the Xfinity Fastest Lap of the race earning a bonus point. Creed takes a nine-point lead over Love atop the early championship standings.

The race ends under yellow, and Jesse Love is your winner. What a racepic.twitter.com/VcUWK9vp8x

— The Daily Downforce (@dailydownforce) February 16, 2025

Winner Jesse Love Quotes

Jesse Love, the celebration down here, there is so much debris down here from not only the crash, but just the tire debris that he left on the start-finish line.

Second career win in the Xfinity Series and first here at Daytona, and a hug with crew chief Danny Stockman. That restart move when you got down in front of the 41, did you realize how close that was and why did you feel like that was the right move to make at that time?

JESSE LOVE: I just listened to the guy up there. I am so out of breath. Oh, my gosh, I’m out of breath. Just want to thank the good Lord above for putting me in this position. So many people have helped me get to this point, Billy Venturini, Shane Rush, the people that taught me how to race here at Daytona, thank you guys.

Our ECR Hertz and Childress Racing everybody back at Welcome. Bummer what happened to 21. I’m not sure what happened but he was really dominant tonight, and we’re working on changing our culture here at RCR.

We’re winners. We know we are. We all want to win a championship for Richard Childress. Man, that thing was as fast as Xfinity mobile and I’m ready to go get to Atlanta now. It was awesome.

You obviously saw how good your teammate was. When he went out did that give you confidence that you had the same quality of race car and the ability to do what he did at the front?

JESSE LOVE: I couldn’t see him. He was so far forward. Man, once I got up front — I think Danny wanted to take sixth there behind the Haas cars, but I had to see what this baby had out front. We didn’t get to qualify, and it takes me a little bit to get out front sometimes. I’m trying to play chess sometimes and not checkers at Daytona.

Man, I’m at a loss for words. It’s Daytona. I always cry here when they do the National Anthem. I’m star struck. I love Florida. Thank everybody for coming out tonight. This place is super special to me. You guys are as good as Talladega fans now!

Danny said that he thought you were more nervous than he was under that yellow. Were you nervous?

JESSE LOVE: Josh Wise changed my life the other week helping me compartmentalize my mind, and it’s easy to because the green-white-checkereds suck. I take a lot of what Josh Wise says to heart and I kind of tapped into the mindset of no fear, no emotion, and no, I guess, anxiety. Just straight will to succeed and will to win.

And thank you to everybody at Wise Optimization, Scott Speed and Josh, Stratton. Excited to go celebrate with my guys. My pit crew did a phenomenal job today, and this Chevy was really good. We finally got a win for the Whelen car. That makes it even more special.

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