Jesse Love praised Whelen Engineering’s “strong commitment” after the family-owned company extended its sponsorship of the No. 2 Chevrolet through the 2026 Xfinity Series season. The brand has been associated with Richard Childress Racing (RCR) since 2022 and has used its partnership to raise awareness for programs like the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.
After claiming Rookie of the Year honors in 2024, Love is currently on a stellar playoff run. He is next in line to advance through the Round of 8, holding a 40-point advantage. With Whelen returning as the sponsor for his No. 2 Chevrolet, Love expressed his enthusiasm for continuing the partnership.
“I’m proud to continue my relationship with Richard Childress Racing and Whelen Engineering and look forward to building upon our already strong foundation,” Love said. “Whelen’s strong commitment to motorsports is unmatched. Thank you to Sonny, Geoff, Peter, and everyone at Whelen for their faith in me. My goal is to go out and win races and championships for RCR and Whelen.”
In his last playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway, Jesse Love secured the Busch Light Pole. However, he ultimately finished tenth, losing out to his teammate Austin Hill on the running order.
### “I’m definitely shocked”: Jesse Love on his fuel mileage loss to Austin Hill
During last weekend’s Xfinity Series race at Talladega, Love was competing closely with Austin Hill when he ran out of fuel. Forced to pit, Love emerged with a significant disadvantage. The situation was especially frustrating since both teammates were on similar pit strategies.
In a post-race interview, Love shared his disappointment: “Obviously, Austin just belt-to-a**’d us. But other than that, you know, I feel like we had a really good day and made the right call. I have a lot of faith in Danny’s pit calls, and I’m definitely shocked. Like, I’m definitely surprised I was running out.”
He added, “That car was so fast in the draft. So, definitely surprised and we’ll look at it, but we did a good job today, kind of just managing possible damage.”
### Playoff outlook heading into Martinsville
Looking ahead, Jesse Love will need a minimum of 15 stage points at Martinsville Speedway to advance past his rivals for the Phoenix finale. JR Motorsports’ Carson Kvapil trails Love in fourth place with 11 points above the cutline, while Connor Zilisch and Justin Allgaier have already secured their spots in the finale.
Love has had a tough recent outing at Martinsville, having wrecked out in his previous race there. Notably, Austin Hill won that race as well but faced criticism for his aggressive tactics on track.
As the playoffs continue to heat up, all eyes will be on Jesse Love and Whelen Engineering’s continued partnership and pursuit of victory with Richard Childress Racing.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/nascar/news-jesse-love-says-he-s-proud-driving-rcr-anchor-sponsor-announces-return-organization
