Since the past month, Jesse Love has been getting a lot of attention. And rightly so, as the 18-year-old has made a name for himself at such a young age. With Love set to drive for Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series next season, his future looks more than promising. In an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, his mentor Billy Venturini spoke highly of the bright young star.

It is no secret how Mr Venturini has played an instrumental role in shaping Love’s career. In fact, the 47-year-old team owner pointed out some lesser-known facts about Love in the interview.

Jesse Love holds a special place in Venturini Motorsports owner Billy Venturini’s heart

Jesse Love performed terrifically well in the 2023 ARCA Menards Series season. Having won ten of the 20 races, he cruised to the title. With two ARCA West championships already to his name and being the youngest champion in NASCAR history, Love is surely making a name for himself.

Having said that, a lot has gone behind the scenes to enhance his career. Venturini Motorsports owner Billy Venturini explained the same in detail in an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports. When asked what helped Love in landing a move to Richard Childress Racing, Venturini explained the youngster’s journey so far.

He said, “Jesse came through the Toyota pipeline because he had really been with them since he was about 12. So he was just a little late model driver and he had done a couple of late model races out in Vegas and they liked him and so he’d been on my radar.”

Venturini has known Love for almost seven years now. However, it was when the driver was 15 years old that he first drove for Venturini Motorsports in 2020. Speaking about it, Venturini said, “So it was a four-year process with him[Love]. A lot of teaching is involved there. A lot of coaching, probably almost more parent raising with him too.”

He continued, “He [Love] comes from a great household, but he was a 15, 16-year-old kid, he moved out East, parents still lived out West. So that’s not an uncommon thing in our industry. So then you kind of almost got to help finish kind of raising these young men. And it was a very productive four years and Jesse’s someone that’s really special to me.”

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Venturini adores Love and there are no two ways about it. While the young driver’s departure to RCR would cause a bittersweet moment, Love couldn’t be more grateful to his ARCA Menards Series team.

Jesse Love credits the ARCA Menards Series for shaping him into what he is today

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It is the struggles that always teach the best lessons. For any aspiring motorsports driver, starting from scratch and learning the part and parcel of the industry is a must. While Jesse Love followed their route, he has earned his way up to the Xfinity Series in the most deserved fashion.

For sure, Venturini Motorsports and Billy Venturini played a major role in that. As Love prepares to embark on to the next phase of his career, he is extremely thankful for the experience and learning. As reported by arcaracing.com, Love said, “I learned so much in ARCA.

“I’ve learned how to lose, how to win, how to become a good restarter and just everything else. My driving style and race craft comes from racing ARCA the past few years. [The platform] sets a lot of drivers up for success, and there isn’t one thing that’s going to help me down the road. It’s the whole package.”

These words certainly depict the amazing attitude Love possesses. Given his stellar approach, it only makes more sense why Billy Venturini spoke so fondly of him in the exclusive interview with EssentiallySports. It would be interesting to see how Love goes about his business in the Xfinity Series come the 2024 season.

WATCH THIS STORY: Rising Star Jesse Love: The New Face of Richard Childress Racing