Three against one: that was the basic scenario of the NASCAR Xfinity Series title race. Three JR Motorsports drivers – Justin Allgaier, Connor Zilisch, and Carson Kvapil – were in the Championship 4. All of them are beasts, especially Zilisch with his legendary 10-win rookie season. Allgaier had already clinched the 2024 title, and Kvapil was a consistent star. And then there was the outlier – Jesse Love.

“It’s almost a little naive to call it any other race,” said the Richard Childress Racing driver about the Phoenix Raceway finale. After winning 1 race, 8 top fives, and 21 top tens, Love was ready to give it all in the final race. And the 20-year-old carved his name in gold by the end of it.

All you need is Love – for a championship!

The NASCAR Xfinity Series championship kicked off with anxious hearts in the audience. Most of the fans were eager to watch Connor Zilisch, the 19-year-old JRM prodigy who won 10 races this season, to clinch the championship. After the raging debate over the playoff format, people prayed for his win. However, it was not meant to be. After facing Justin Allgaier’s indomitable pace, Zilisch could not contend with the late-race surge of his best friend, Jesse Love.

Jesse Love made the pass to Connor Zilisch with 24 to go. By the last ten laps, the RCR driver had built up a 1.5-second barrier between himself and the rest of the grid – and seamlessly won the championship! “I feel so clean, you know, relieved,” Love said while choking up. He could not stop his emotions after a hard-fought title. “It’s been a tough year for me. I put so much work into it. People like my dad…and my whole team that works this hard for my dream as I have on my own.” He added, “It doesn’t feel real at all.”

Jesse Love talked about wrestling the lead from Connor Zilisch, drawing a boundary between his friendship and his title run. “He’s my best friend in the whole world, but not when we’re racing each other. We were racing each other hard and fair. I knew I had to take him there, I knew he was going to put it on my door. I knew I was gonna have to throttle up…He was driving a really good race, but my car was just better tonight.” He hailed Zilisch anyway: “Hats off the 88 team and Connor for all they’ve done this year.”

Love did not start the race optimistically – after starting 6th, he dropped off outside the top ten by the end of stage 1. The Richard Childress Racing driver reflected on climbing back from that: “We were so bad to start. I couldn’t believe how bad we were. I mean, we were awful. Danny put some of his magic in there…and we came alive.” He added, “This means the world to me and everybody’s that’s been on this journey with me.”

This marks a sensational end to an eventful NASCAR Xfinity Series season. And the reactions across the NASCAR garage were varied.

Hurrahs and boos ring out

For one thing, Jesse Love put up a spectacular performance. Climbing to the front from outside the top ten and defeating a JR Motorsports contingent of heavyweights is no mean feat. So congratulations poured in from various corners of the NASCAR community. Alongside cheering fans, celebrities also pitched in. Julia Piquet, Cup Series driver Daniel Suarez’s wife, sent a congratulatory note. “What a drive!! Incredible… Congratulations to the 2 team 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼,” she wrote on X.

However, on the other end of things, there were the detractors of the current playoff format. While not directly dissing Jesse Love’s championship, an army of fans asserted that Connor Zilisch is the meritorious winner of this season, given his win total. Even 2014 Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick posted a GIF of a dumpster fire as a sign of the incoming chaotic debate.

Then Denny Hamlin also posted a screenshot of his chat with Jesse Love. The latter sent him a picture of himself making a rapper’s sign, and Hamlin replied, “My guy.” This may be an excerpt of a legendary conversation, as Hamlin will compete for the Cup Series title tomorrow. He will look forward to clinching a title that has eluded him for the past two decades.

Sadly, Connor Zilisch could not cap it off – and we wish his best friend congratulations! He will take his battle to the Cup Series next year, while Love basks in his newfound glory.