Richard Childress Racing announced Wednesday that defending ARCA Menards Series champion Jesse Love will join the race team in 2024.
Love will replace Sheldon Creed behind the wheel of the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
“We’ve been watching Jesse for a while now and his breakout performance in the ARCA Menards Series was impressive this season,” said Richard Childress, Chairman and CEO of RCR. “We know that he has the talent and determination to win races and compete for championships within RCR’s NASCAR Xfinity Series program. We are looking forward to welcoming Whelen back for another year on the No. 2 program and feel confident that Jesse will be a strong ambassador for Whelen.”
Love, 18, is one of the brightest up and comers in the sport. He won 10 races this season en route to capturing his first ARCA Menards Series championship, and had two separate three-win race streaks. Love also won back-to-back ARCA Menards Series West titles in 2020 and ’21.
“I’ve been fortunate to gain a lot of racing experience at a young age, but nothing compares to the opportunity to race for a legendary team like Richard Childress Racing,” Love said. “I have so much respect for Richard Childress and am extremely grateful to be able to race and learn with one of the most successful teams in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
“I’ve dreamed of racing at the highest levels of the sport since I was a young kid, and the path to the NASCAR Cup Series seems more clear with this opportunity. It’s even more special to be able to represent a company like Whelen who has a long-standing involvement in motorsports and strong focus on building American-made products.”
Jesse Love in, Sheldon Creed out at RCR
Love will make his first appearance under the RCR banner this Friday as part of the organizations’s 2023 Fan Day event.
Love will replace Creed, who spent the last two Xfinity Series seasons with RCR. Though winless, Creed qualified for the playoffs this season after finishing 14th in the points standings in 2022. Creed has finished as the runner-up three times this season, and third two times.
Prior to joining RCR, Creed spent three full-time seasons driving the No. 2 Chevrolet for GMS Racing in the Craftsman Truck Series. Creed was wildly successful in trucks, winning a championship in 2020 and reaching victory lane eight times in 76 starts.
Creed made his Cup Series debut this season in the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. Piloting the No. 78 Chevrolet for Live Fast Motorsports, Creed finished 29th.