Jesse Love, the defending NASCAR O’Reily Auto Parts Series Champion, embarks on his third year driving the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing in 2026. The Menlo Park, California native is paired with crew chief Danny Stockman.

Love’s first two seasons at the helm of the No. 2 Chevrolet have been nothing short of spectacular, highlighted by clinching the series title in 2025 just one year after earning Rookie of the Year Honors. Love bookended the 2025 season with wins at the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway as well as the finale at Phoenix Raceway. In addition to two wins, Love earned nine top five finishes and 22 top 10 finishes during the course of the season, and four pole awards (Atlanta Motor Speedway – February, Talladega Superspeedway – April and October and Iowa Speedway). Combined with his career-first NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series win at Talladega Superspeedway in April 2024, Love is a three-time winner in the series and a nine-time pole award winner.

Love made his NASCAR Cup Series debut in 2025, splitting time between RCR’s No. 33 Chevrolet and Beard Motorsports’ No. 62 entry. In five Cup Series starts, he earned his best finish of 24th at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

In 2023, Love posted one of the most dominating performances in recent ARCA Menards Series history, winning half of the races on the series schedule enroute to the 2023 ARCA Menards Series Championship.

Love made his NASCAR Truck Series debut in 2023, competing in three races and earning a career-best finish of fourth at Phoenix Raceway in November.

Love became the youngest champion in NASCAR history by clinching his first ARCA Menards Series West title at the age of 16 in 2020. He also clinched the title in 2021. In total, Love owns 12 victories in ARCA Menards Series West competition and one victory in ARCA Menards Series East Competition.

At just 10 years old, Love made his stock car racing debut in the MavTV Jr. Late Model Series and won in his first-career start. He became a two-time champion and the winningest driver in the history of the series.

Love’s passion for racing started at a young age. At the age of five, he began driving quarter-midgets throughout the San Francisco Bay area before advancing to full midgets and sprint cars, accumulating six United States Automobile Club (USAC) Championships in the USAC Speed 2 Ford Focus division.

Outside of racing, Love enjoys spending time with friends, wake surfing, cooking, fishing, playing golf and video games. Love stars in RISING, a multi-part documentary series offering an unprecedented look inside the lives of three young, up-and-coming NASCAR drivers as they established their identities both on and off the track.

Love is a native of Menlo Park, California. He currently resides in Huntersville, North Carolina.