There’s definitely been a change of heart for Jesse Love. The NASCAR Xfinity champion, who is making his Supercar series debut, has had a pretty warm welcome. With Aussie driver Broc Feeney stepping up and showing the reins, Love is all in. Right from ripping laps in open sessions to calling the car “unlike anything I’ve driven before,” the No. 2 driver is lovestruck.  But with his commitments to Richard Childress Racing, could a potential shift to Down Under be in the cards?

Jesse Love keeps his options open

Jesse Love has taken to the new racing environment like a duck to water, and now, the California native believes that with his fellow drivers watching, they may want a taste of some Australian racing too.

Speaking to Jessica Yates, Love said, “I’m sure that there is 25 Cup Xfinity and Truck drivers watching this weekend that want to be what I’m doing this weekend, so I’m sure that now that I’ve finally done it and I’m probably one of the first guys to come over and do it, that there’s going to be kind of a flood of NASCAR guys wanting to come over here and do it now they know it’s possible.”

At just 20 years old, Love remains the only current Xfinity driver to make his debut with Image Racing. Fellow Americans like NASCAR driver Austin Cindric are also in the mix. And that is exactly why the Xfinity champion believes that this exposure could open the gates for more American racers.

But when asked if the Richard Childress Racing driver would like to convert this one-off race into a full-time experience, Love seemed interested.

“So absolutely, I want to come back,” he said. “Part of the reason that I’ve been a little bit frustrated this weekend is I had some expectations, right? And expectations can ruin it, right? But I want to keep doing this so I can get a chance in the main game and really start learning even more.”

And his results back him up. While it’s an obvious learning curve, Love managed to finish 22nd in both Thursday practice sessions and then went on to qualify 19th out of 22 drivers for Race 11 on Saturday. And for the main race on Sunday, he will start 22nd because qualifying was cancelled due to bad weather, so the grade was set based on the second practice session times.

But with mentorship from Broc Feeney and the results from trial and error, Love is definitely looking to have a blast in Australia. And the 20-year-old has devised a plan to do so.

Love’s game plan for the big Supercars Grand Finale

Jesse Love’s Super2 debut was nothing short of a trial by fire. The American NASCAR champion didn’t hide his nerves as he tackled the demanding South Australian street circuit for the first time.

From the very first practice session, Love realized just how tricky the track could be, admitting that he’s never been “somewhat scared” to make it into a corner.  Turn 8, in particular, quickly became a true test of both skill and courage. But the 20-year-old seems to have stepped up well to that challenge.

Leading up to the Adelaide grand final, Love spent the week at Mallala Motor Sports Park, completing roughly 70 laps to get a feel for the car and fine-tune his approach. His mindset is extremely clear. Adapting quickly and avoiding mistakes seems to be the mantra.

“The important part is to execute the weekend well. Avoid big mistakes and give ourselves a chance at a good result.” Love said.

As a full-time competitor with RCR in NASCAR’s second-tier series, he understands the rarity and the value of this opportunity. And with Sunday right around the corner, it can be said with much certainty that the Jesse Love fans will keep their eyes glued to the TV as the American star rises to the occasion.