Richard Childress’ Prodigy Backs Down From the Austin Hill Challenge: “I’ll Never Fight Austin”

Jesse Love from Richard Childress Racing was lucky that he didn’t have to battle against his own teammate during his maiden NASCAR win. The rookie driver fought tooth and nail in an overtime finish. However, had his teammate Austin Hill still been in contention coming down the last lap, it would have been a daunting task for Love to keep him at bay.

Is Jesse Love intimidated by Hill? Well, he must have the experiences the two of them have shared at the back of his mind. Speaking on the ‘Door Bumper Clear’ podcast, the teenage sensation shed light on a story that keeps him in check from locking horns with the 30-year-old RCR star.

Jesse Love isn’t planning on sparring with Austin Hill anytime soon

Hill has a reputation for being quite intimidating and is well known for his pit-road antics from the 2022 season. At the time, Myatt Snider found himself on the receiving end of his wrath as the RCR star threw punches at him after the race. Part of it was because he was frustrated as his hopes for the championship were washed away with a #9 finish.

Interestingly, Love also knows what it is like to go head-to-head against his teammate in the ring. Speaking about his duel with Austin, the 19-year-old shared, “So I used to box with Austin, which was like stupid. I was like 16, and it was part of our workout regime when I was at Toyota, and he would just basically put his hands on my forehead, and I would just swing at him, and then he gets one punch. It was ridiculous, so I’ll never fight Austin.”

However, the two drivers put on a good show, racing in tandem at Talladega, trying to keep their rivals at bay. Fortunately for Love, Hill was taken out of the race with just 2 laps to go, causing a big one that took out multiple race cars. Talladega seems to be a tough nut to crack for the Georgia native, and he might have to take some learning lessons from his rookie teammate, who figured it out in his first attempt.

Moreover, Love also spoke about enjoying racing in the Xfinity car and shared his views on the Next Gen car.

Xfinity Series is the best show every week

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Joey Logano, who has recently been featured in the Xfinity booth, was left impressed with how well the Xfinity cars run without the throttle. In comparison to the Next Gen car, the drivers barely get to lift and have to keep their foot on the gas to gain maximum speed. This reminded the Penske star of the older Cup car. And he was jealous to see the Xfinity drivers enjoy a better racing experience.

Now, sharing his thoughts on the Xfinity race car, Love went on to add. “It looks fun to drive on TV, and it’s even more fun to drive. The Xfinity stuff I think definitely the best show every week and I think it’s because we have a lot of horsepower and not a lot of downforce, less tire than the Cup car and it just works out that way. So I think I’m spot on for that one,”

With six consecutive top-five finishes along with his maiden win at Talladega, Love is certainly making big strides in his rookie season. While the Rookie of the Year award is well within his reach, he sure has potential for more.