Reigning ARCA Menards Series champion Jesse Love will jump directly into a full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series season in 2024 with Richard Childress Racing.
The 18-year-old will take over the Whelen sponsored No. 2 currently inhabited by 2020 Truck Series champion Sheldon Creed. The move is a bit of a surprise given that Love will bypass a full Truck Series season, instead going directly to Xfinity after just two starts in the third-tier series, but also having a wealth of experience across ARCA, Super Late Models and USAC Midgets.
“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,” said Love in a press release. “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.”
Before winning the ARCA national championship, Love also claimed back-to-back ARCA West championships with Bill McAnally Racing. He will make his RCR debut in February at Daytona — a race that organization has won the past two years.
“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.”
Love will make one more NASCAR national touring start, his third Truck Series race with Tricon Garage, before moving to both RCR and Chevrolet next year. Love has never, until next year, raced under anything except the Toyota Racing Development banner.
While not officially announced yet, Creed is expected to join Chandler Smith at Joe Gibbs Racing in the Xfinity Series, the latter of which has been detailed first by Sportsnaut.
Taking over as crew chief for the No. 2 next season is Danny Stockman, who has
457 starts across all three national tours, and previously worked at RCR from 2010 to 2019. Stockman guided Austin Dillon to a Truck Series and Xfinity Series championship in 2011 and 2013 respectively.
“Danny Stockman will be great addition to RCR’s NASCAR Xfinity Series program and we are looking forward to welcoming him back to our organization,” said Childress. “Danny has proven that he is a talented crew chief, especially working with a young driver. He’s accomplished a lot in his career, including helping guide Austin Dillon to two championships. I know he will do a great job working with Jesse Love and representing Whelen Engineering.”
Stockman has seven Xfinity Series wins and 14 in the Truck Series and Love hopes that trend continues.
“It’s great to have the chance to work with someone like Danny Stockman,” Love said. “His resume speaks for itself and he’s somebody that I knew I really wanted to work with. I am looking forward to learning from him and growing as a driver under his tutelage. He always brings really fast race cars to the track, and his relationship with RCR and Chevrolet is huge and will be helpful during my rookie NASCAR Xfinity Series season.”
Stockman says this is like coming home after a three-year stint at Kyle Busch Motorsports. He is currently serving as crew chief for Nick Sanchez in the REV Racing Truck Series team in an alliance with KBM.
“I can’t wait to cross the railroad tracks in Welcome, N.C. and race for wins and championships with a talented group of racers,” said Stockman. “Jesse Love is a bright young talent and it’s an honor to be able to work with him as he makes the next step in his career in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. I am grateful to Richard Childress for this opportunity and excited to go for wins and championships for Whelen Engineering.”
Matt Weaver is a Motorsports Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.