While the Championship 4 drivers fought for the Truck Series trophy, a brand new entry from Tricon Garage impressed in Phoenix. 2023 ARCA Menards Series champion Jesse Love earned a Top 5 finish in his third-ever start in a NASCAR series. When the racing community expected a full-time Truck seat, Richard Childress Racing skipped that step and announced Love’s inclusion in the Xfinity Series next season. 

The former Venturini Motorsports star disclosed the events that led to that momentous decision in a conversation with Out of the Groove. Furthermore, the #20 crew chief of Jesse Love extended his wholehearted support in an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports.

Jesse Love drawn by the allure of Richard Childress and future Xfinity crew chief 

Jesse Love is undoubtedly brimming with talent, as displayed in his astounding performances last season. Not only did the rising superstar win 10 ARCA Menards races to win the series title, Love also ran three Truck races last year with noteworthy finishes of 9th, 13th, and 4th. When those finishes opened several doors for his NASCAR entry, the 18-year-old driver searched for a race team that could provide him with the same atmosphere of family and belonging as his ARCA team Venturini Motorsports.

Even in his wildest dreams, Jesse Love had not expected an offer from the eminent team of Richard Childress. But it was the warm reception and environment of that team, which eventually ensured Love the certainty of his decision. In an interview with Eric Estepp, Love elaborated, “We talked in the middle of the year and obviously I was interested because it’s RCR but I wasn’t going to pursue it because I was supposed to run basically full-time in a truck and then once that opportunity got taken away from me that was kind of the turning point.”

He further continued, “When RCR talked to me again after that it moved really quickly and I went to meet with them and I just love the atmosphere and I love the shop and love the people and I’m a big people person so I had to have the right people.” Another crucial factor that solidified the move for Jesse Love was the opportunity to team up with Truck and Xfinity championship-winning crew chief Danny Stockman. Love said, “Obviously once I heard Danny Stockman doing it, that was huge as well, so I know it’s a lot to unpack.”

Moreover, Love can only see a potential Cup move through RCR’s guidance. He confirmed, “At the end of the day there’s a path to Cup for me where I’m at right now and I don’t know if I saw that where I was before. There’s just at RCR like I walk past the cup shop on the way to the Xfinity shop there’s a lot of movement obviously and it just seemed with trying to keep my mouth shut as best as possible like that was the best move for me at that time.”

Watch this story: Rising Star Jesse Love: The New Face of Richard Childress Racing

Venturini Motorsports’ crew chief Shannon Rursch could not agree more and even advised the best way to navigate this career path in an exclusive discussion with ES.

ARCA Menards Crew Chief guides Jesse Love through tricky NASCAR territories

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The experienced crew chief knew the competitive world of NASCAR was an entirely different ballgame than the ARCA series. The intensity of pressure and spotlight accorded would naturally be much higher. Also, the skill level and technique required to race in the Truck Series versus the Xfinity Series would also be widely different.

Even though Shannon Rursch believed in his champion driver Jesse Love, he suggested, “I think that he has experience in situations similar to that, we just kind of temper that and don’t let it get out not quite as public as it is in the Xfinity Series or the Cup Series.”

“Obviously, when you have an organization that prepares really fast race cars and you have really good race car drivers like RCR does, from time to time you’re going to be in that situation.” With the backing of his ARCA team and the support of his future Xfinity team, fans would be excited to see the young talent in the upcoming season. 

BREAKING News: Richard Childress Racing Announces 2023 ARCA Champ as Sheldon Creed’s Replacement