Jesse Love is only 18 years old, but he is already beginning to build his NASCAR career. The current ARCA Menards Series points leader has won everywhere he has been, and he has a bright future ahead of him including making his Craftsman Truck Series debut this weekend.
Jesse Love was born on January 14, 2005, making him 18 years old. According to his website, he is from Menlo Park, California, which is in the San Francisco Bay Area. He began racing at five years old racing quarter-midgets.
Since he began his career, he has ran multiple series from jr late models, to midgets, to super late models, to the INEX series on road courses. During he 2019 season, Love competed in 120 races.
In 2020, at the age of 15 years old, Love began competing in the ARCA Menards Series East full-time. With sponsorship from NAPA, Love won three races at Utah Motorsports Campus, Irwindale, and Colorado. Love would win the 2020 ARCA Menards Series West Championship, making him the youngest champion in any NASCAR sanctioned series.
Love also caught the eye of Bill Venturini, who let Love drive one ARCA Menards Series race at Winchester. Love had already raced three ARCA Menards Series races that season, but, with Venturini, Love had his best finish of the season of fourth at Winchester along with his best qualifying run of third. From there, Love’s career began to build further.
While still running full-time in the ARCA Menards Series West in 2021 at the age of 16, Love would also run 10 ARCA Menards Series races. In the ARCA Menards West Series, Love would win two more races and his second straight series championship. In the big ARCA Menards Series, Love would make his presence felt.
In all 10 races run, Love finished in the top-10, and got his first career win in a 200 lap race at Salem Speedway. He would pass Ty Gibbs with 45 laps to go, and Love would hang on for the win.
In 2022, Love would shift his focus fully to the ARCA Menards Series for Venturini. However, he was still only 17 years old, and unable to run at superspeedways. He still impressed in a limited schedule with four poles and 12 top-tens and his second career win at Springfield.
The performance impressed enough for TRICON Garage to take notice, and they signed Love to run three races being Gateway in June, Kansas in September, and Phoenix in November. Love also was old enough to run the full ARCA Menards Series schedule.
Love has impressed in ARCA once again currently holding the points lead with three victories. Now this weekend he drives in his first Truck Series race.
Beginning in August of 2021, Love started posting racing related content on his YouTube channel. His channel features content from race vlogs and recaps to a video on his fitness routine and meal prep. It currently has 293 subscribers.
Toyota.com did a Q&A with Jesse Love about some of the things he loves to do away from the race track. Unsurprisingly, Love likes to race on iRacing, but he also loves golf and chess.
What did Love say when asked what his ultimate NASCAR goal is? He said he wants to be an eight time Cup Series champion. What a goal to have for someone as young as Love.
