Jesse Love Refuses to Take Credit After a Record-Breaking Qualifying Race at Atlanta Motor Speedway

NASCAR racing is more than a driver winning the race on the weekends or getting the pole positions. It’s about the collective effort of the entire team, right from the car engineers to the pit crew. It’s safe to say that without solid backing from a good team behind the scenes, it would practically be impossible for a driver to yield results. And that exact instance came alive on Friday with Jesse Love and his Xfinity Series team at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Driving for Richard Childress Racing’s No. 2 Chevrolet Camaro, Love scored his second consecutive pole in just his second career Xfinity Series start. The 19-year-old clocked the fastest lap in the final round of qualifying for Saturday’s main event. While he was well within his rights to take all the credit for himself, he chose to put the spotlight on team members, who equally deserve the plaudits for their impressive results.

Jesse Love shares the secret behind his positive start to the rookie season

The 2023 ARCA Menards Series champion took a big leap by joining an Xfinity Series team for the 2024 season. However, going by his early stints in the RCR camp, it does look like he made the right call. Consecutive pole positions for his first two races is a dream start for the driver. And while it seems that Love is doing magic behind the wheel, he recently shared the real reason behind the team’s success.

“I think we’ve broken one or two records. These qualifyings, these speedways, there’s a little bit a driver can do but the biggest thing is this just speaks volumes to how good our team is. Everybody knows how good Danny Stockman is. Our car chief bug, him,  they all click together really well. And our road crew is just phenomenal so it’s just a pleasure to drive those race cars and get the Whelen engineering in the spotlight really early is awesome,” Love said after the qualifying rounds at Atlanta.

On the back of such a good start and a good car to work with, Love also shared his plans for the rest of the season. “So my goal is to hopefully get locked in the playoffs in the first five or ten races. Obviously, we have another good shot tomorrow night. I think I learned a little bit of a lesson at Daytona with how fast our car is. I can probably take my time a little bit more than other guys and still get to the front pretty quickly.”

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The qualifying rounds are indeed a good morale booster, but rubbing shoulders with the rival teams and cars is a different ball game. A #20 finish at Daytona did prove that getting pole position alone is not enough to win races.

Jesse Love will have to overcome early nerves to reach his targets for the season

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At 19, Love is certainly still learning the tricks of the trade. Despite the pole and a quick car at Daytona, he just could not push beyond his comfort zone. “I would have liked to be more aggressive at the end. Just didn’t want to turn a bad day into a terrible day.” Sounds like a young driver with low confidence. But it’s natural considering the circumstances.

Now in another pole position, edging past his teammate Hill, Jesse Love is once again in a similar position, just like last week. However, it’s worth noting that Hill will be eyeing a second win in a row after his exploits at Daytona. Moreover, the 20-year-old emerged victorious at Atlanta last season, so it makes up for an interesting battle between the two RCR drivers.