Saturday was not a good day for Richard Childress and team, as their own drivers collided early in Stage 1, leaving the team one man down. Though Jesse Love secured his best finish at the track, he understood the implications of his actions as Austin Hill was left out of contention. Love wants to consult, and who better than Dale Jr. and his experienced drivers?

Jesse Love wants to talk to JRM driver

After being unable to understand why the crash happened in such a manner, Jesse Love is going to consult Justin Allgaier about the same. He wants to have a better overview of everything instead of just moving on from the incident.

“I think that even there I put him in a really bad aero spot tonight. Look, there are a couple sides to the coin. I am probably not seeing the whole picture right now.

“Because I am sort of raw, right next to right after the moment, but I mean, if I can lean on the people around me, I am definitely going to talk to someone like Justin Allgaier to see what he thinks about it.”

This basically means two things. One is, of course, Love feels he might have genuinely contributed to the crash, and second, he values someone like Allgaier’s experience enough to trust it for him.

And while talking about the incident post-race, Jesse Love did not shy away from admitting his role in the race-ending crash that Austin Hill faced on Saturday.

“I think that, from my standpoint, I was racing really, really hard, right? You know, it wasn’t just like a dump or a wreck or something like that. But at the same time I need to be aware that I put him in a really bad aero spot.

“It was all my doing. But I think there’s a conversation to be had. Like I said, once I build some more awareness about it, I will see the bigger picture.”

He was visibly guilty about causing a bad situation for Richard Childress and the No. 21 team while trying to race them aggressively at Kansas. Richard Childress Racing is already facing a terrible decline in the NASCAR Cup Series. The O’Reilly Series is the only place they are still among the top teams.

“I’ll remember this,” is what Austin Hill said about his teammate.

As such, Love and Hill’s contact was a disaster for them yesterday. Jesse Love finished in P4, which means the team had enough pace in them to secure a podium or a potential victory. Love understood that his actions ultimately cost them massively, and he issued an indirect apology to everyone.

Regardless, no matter what I think about it, I hate it for Bennett and the 21 group, Austin Hill, and, of course, RC and all of RCR. We want two cars up there every week and are in battle for one.”

His teammate was upset and baffled after the crash. In Austin Hill’s eyes, such aggression from Love was unwarranted, especially considering the fact that they are teammates. As a result of the crash, Hill lost multiple points and dropped down the driver standings. He lost four places and sits in P8 currently.

Even though he committed a grave mistake, Jesse Love almost made up for it with the P4 finish he brought for RCR at Kansas. So what does he think about his own performance at Kansas?

Jesse Love credits Richard Childress and pit crew for success

For Jesse Love, the entire race in Kansas was all about his pit crew managing the perfect balance despite working with a new member. He made sure to let his missing pit crew member feel better by letting him know that the team was still thinking of him.

“You know my pit crew, Josh is recovering, and Josh, we miss you a lot. Catchy, who filled in for Josh tonight, did a phenomenal job, and obviously that speaks volumes about our pit department at RCR.”

Throughout his interview, Love made it clear that he was quite happy with the pace of his car. There were some missing variables, but ultimately, Kansas was a good weekend for them. He also emphasized how Richard Childress has been investing heavily in the team to give them the opportunity they need to bring in better results.

“In the last few months we’ve still had the top-5 speed that we came out with in the beginning of the year. Maybe not the knockout speed we had at Phoenix and Vegas, where we could go dominate, but pretty similar to tonight, where we’re a top 3-5 car, and I thought we were on both sides of the balance coin tonight.”

For Jesse Love, it was a bittersweet weekend. It will be interesting to see what he thinks about his incident with Austin Hill once he has the wisdom he seeks from Justin Allgaier and others.