He opened the season with a win and ended it with another — plus the biggest prize of them all.
In the end, it was pit stops that made all the difference. Jesse Love, the 20-year-old Californian who wasn’t exactly on anyone’s short list coming into the weekend, used flawless pit work — including his Richard Childress Racing team’s fastest stop of the season — and a few well-timed wrench turns to steal the Xfinity Series championship under the desert sun at Phoenix Raceway.
Love, who won the season opener at Daytona, grabbed the lead with 25 laps to go and never let it go, holding off Aric Almirola and Connor Zilisch for his second win of the year — and his first NASCAR Xfinity title. Not bad for a kid who admitted afterward, “I just feel so clean, relieved. It’s been a tough year for me. My dad, Scott Speed, my whole 2 team — they’ve worked just as hard for my dream as I have for my own.”
Meanwhile, JR Motorsports — the winningest team in 2025 — was left standing outside the victory lane window looking in. Justin Allgaier led the most laps, won a stage, and looked ready to go back-to-back as champion before it all unraveled when it mattered most. “That last pit stop there, we lost a little bit of track position,” Allgaier said. “That last set of tires was really, really loose. Felt like we did all the right things tonight and still came out short.”
It started like business as usual. Taylor Gray led early while polesitter Brandon Jones faded like a cheap suit in the Arizona sun. Sheldon Creed chased him in second with Allgaier and Zilisch right behind. Jeb Burton brushed the wall on lap 36, but the caution flag stayed tucked away, and Gray cruised to win the stage.
Allgaier took control in Stage 2, putting on a clinic and winning by nearly three seconds. It looked like the veteran was about to make this another one of those “the kids tried” stories. But then came pit road — where dynasties are built and dreams are crushed.
Love’s crew hit the stop of the year, launching him out front while Zilisch’s crew lost time making a big adjustment. Allgaier briefly retook command, but another caution on lap 113 — courtesy of Leland Honeyman getting tagged by Daniel Dye — reset the field and gave Love another shot.
When the green came back out with 42 laps to go, all civility evaporated. Zilisch muscled his way to the front, Almirola followed, and Love — well, Love decided the gloves were off. He shoved his way past Almirola, then went door-to-door with Zilisch until Turn 4, where both nearly wrecked but somehow didn’t.
“Yeah, he’s my best friend in the whole world, but not when we’re racing each other,” Love said of Zilisch. “I knew he was going to put it in my door. I had to throttle up and get my nose ahead. My car was just better tonight.”
Once clear, Love never looked back. Zilisch, the 10-time winner and heavy favorite, spent the closing laps searching for speed that wasn’t there, while Almirola quietly took second — and the owner’s championship for Joe Gibbs Racing.
“Yeah, I mean, I told my team we had to give it 100%,” Zilisch said afterward. “We did that today. We fought all day long, threw everything we had at it. Unfortunately, we just didn’t quite have what we needed. The lights were too bright.”
Allgaier faded to fifth, still stuck on one championship but never short on grace.
“Disappointed,” he said. “I wanted to send Jim Pohlman off with another championship. He’s developed me into a better driver and a better person. We’ll go to Daytona and start again. Feels weird this is the last one.”
For Love, though, it was the kind of night drivers spend their lives chasing. He’d been terrible early — his words — until crew chief Danny Stockman found a magic wrench that woke the car up. “We were so bad to start,” Love said, shaking his head. “Danny put one of his magic wrenches in there and we came to life. This means the world to me.”
So it ended the way the season began — with Jesse Love in victory lane. But this time, there was more than just a trophy. There was a 20-year-old kid realizing the dream he’d worked his entire life for.
And for one last time, as the series’ longtime title sponsor fades into the sunset, the rest of the field could only watch Jesse Love disappear into the Arizona night — fast as Xfinity Mobile, cleaner than ever, leaving everyone else to chase taillights and memories.
Greg was a writer for DriveTribe supporting Amazon's The Grand Tour and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, and a Masters degree in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek and a regular contributor to Forbes.
- Connor Zilisch Had It All — Until He Didn’t - November 1, 2025
- He Opened The Season With a Win — and Ended It With Everything - November 1, 2025
- In The End, Even Chaos Had To Yield To Corey Heim - October 31, 2025