The hype surrounding Richard Childress Racing‘s teenage driver Jesse Love in the Xfinity Series was insane even before he made his debut and for all intents and purposes, he lived up to that hype. At just 19 years of age, he already has 6 top-ten finishes in 9 races and is only getting better. The season started with a couple of superspeedway races and while he did run well in them, he wasn’t able to finish near the top. That all changed at Talladega on Sunday as the 19-year-old took home his first race victory, with the NASCAR community left in awe of the youngster.

Jesse Love avoided Atlanta fate to take Talladega victory

The race went into double overtime in which the driver of the #2 car took the checkered flag. With his victory, the rookie booked his place in the playoffs in his very first year in the competition, which is an absolutely incredible result. It’s just the start of the season, but the winner of the Rookie of the Year award seems like a foregone conclusion. After the race ended, Love was filled with relief as he feared that he would run out of gas before the finish, just like how things unfurled at Atlanta earlier this year.

“It’s been a journey to get to this point. I had a PTSD flashback to Atlanta and burned her to the ground. I watched The Masters and took one off of Scottie Scheffler. I knew my victory was secured on a cross, and I didn’t have to worry about much. If we run out, then we ran out. My team did a phenomenal job. We fought,” he said as per a report in Frontstretch.

Several members of the racing community, including fans, drivers, and insiders, congratulated the 19-year-old on what was a well-deserved victory. NASCAR seems to have found a motorsports prodigy who might very well grow up to beat numerous long-standing records.

Racing community hails Richard Childress Racing’s teenage sensation

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One of the first people to congratulate the driver of the #2 car was his teammate Austin Hill. Hill has been in great form this year, but Saturday was not his day as he spun out of the race. But the 30-year-old could not be happier for his teammate and he expressed his pride on X. 

Veteran spotter and Door Bumper Clear co-host Brett Griffin also chimed in with his congratulatory message for the teenager. He uploaded a video where he was sitting in front of a bonfire in the middle of nowhere and even congratulated the young driver in an animated way. 

Countless fans congratulated the teenager on his maiden Xfinity Series win as well. If he keeps performing this way, it won’t be long before we see him in the NASCAR Cup Series. At least that’s what some fans seem to believe. “Is this where they announce Jesse Love is getting the 3 car in Cup next year?” asked one user.

There were some that were just purely happy that the RCR star had won at Talladega after unfortunate circumstances cost him at superspeedways like Daytona and Atlanta. “A victory well earned. Jesse Love wins at Talladega. Yes. Yes. Yes,” one user tweeted. “JESSE LOVE BABY!!!!!!” quipped another.

And of course, there were going to be the Sheldon Creed comparisons. Love took his spot on the team and Creed did not leave RCR on the best of terms, as we all saw in the playoffs race at the Martinsville Speedway. “Well it looks like Jesse Love is better than Sheldon Creed already in the 2 car,” one user commented.

Jesse Love has certainly taken the NASCAR world by storm and it will be quite intriguing to see how the teenage sensation performs in the upcoming races. Will he be able to make it to the championship round? Only time will tell.