How Will RCR Balance the Schedule of the No. 33?
What’s Happening? NASCAR fans are asking how Richard Childress Racing will fill out the schedule for its No. 33 team following…
Fan speculation about potential sponsorship troubles for the 2025 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Champion, Jesse Love, is picking up steam after a recent report suggested these theories could have some weight.
With Kyle Busch’s passing, Richard Childress Racing faced an in-season driver change under tragic circumstances for the second time in its lengthy history.
In the eyes of NASCAR fans, the answer to RCR’s problem was clear: they have two Cup Series-ready drivers racing full-time in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, Austin Hill and Jesse Love.
To drive the newly renumbered No. 33, RCR initially opted for Hill, a stretch that, to the concern of fans, has continued through the first three races.
While Hill has more Cup Series starts under his belt than Love, Jesse, as the reigning NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion at just 21 years old, is seen by many as the team’s future, something that many opinions have made him the clear long-term option to race the No. 33.
This conundrum became a topic of conversation amongst the fanbase, with NASCAR fans discussing why Jesse has yet to get a shot to drive the No. 33.
These ideas ranged from guesswork, such as those suggesting he is signed to another Cup Series team for 2027, to theories about his relationship with the team or even sponsorship.
The latter of those two ideas amused some members of the fanbase online, with some suspecting that while the car is well sponsored, those brands do not fit the picture of a young, freshly 21-year-old driver.
Among those names on the car are nicotine replacement brand Zone, Rebel Bourbon, and BetMGM.
Of course, there is one glaring problem with this theory, as many in the community pointed out: Love is 21, which puts him on the mark for the legal age of consumption of both alcohol and nicotine products.
But, despite the holes in this theory, a Thursday morning report from Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports gave fans who agree with this theory the answer they were looking for, as Pockrass stated in his Silly Season report that some of these brands could require a driver who “is 25 or older” and is looking for “someone who doesn’t look close to being underage.”
While this is far from a confirmation that this is the exact thing holding back Love, at least for 2026, and he notes that there is still no decision on the No. 33 for next season, this does lend itself as the leading theory in the NASCAR community.
What’s Happening? NASCAR fans are asking how Richard Childress Racing will fill out the schedule for its No. 33 team following…
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