The last time Jesse Love won at Phoenix Raceway, he walked away with a trophy and a championship.
This time, he got the trophy and the lead in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Chase, with three races left to decide who gets to call himself champion.
Love put on a commanding performance Saturday evening at the Arizona one-mile oval, sweeping both stages before holding off a late charge from Sam Mayer to claim his second victory of the 2026 season and second in the Chase. The defending series champion collected 75 points on the day, turning a championship deficit into an unofficial 36-point advantage over Justin Allgaier.
However, it wasn’t quite the Sunday drive the numbers might suggest. Mayer, driving the No. 41 Chevrolet, spent the closing laps making life increasingly uncomfortable for Love, eventually reaching the rear bumper of the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. Love held his nerve, crossing the finish line just 0.128 seconds ahead of Mayer in a finish that was considerably closer than Love might have preferred.
“Honestly, it felt like we were a little better than we were at the end,” Love said. “I was having to just drive a lawn over the tire to make any sort of lap time.”
Love joked that he would have words with crew chief Danny Stockman for not freeing up the car earlier, but there was little reason to complain after a day that put him in control of his championship destiny.
“I’m grateful to the good Lord above for putting great people behind me and grateful to go on for RCR,” Love said. “It’s been a tough year for us, so grateful just to be in a situation to win races.”
Love also credited his pit crew, which has consistently given him an advantage on pit road, and the people around him who have helped him prepare for the pressure of racing for a championship.
The victory was particularly satisfying after Love’s 2025 triumph at Phoenix helped deliver the series championship. Now, with the postseason entering its final three races, he’s positioned to make another run at the title.
“These are the days that we prepare for and I just dream of,” Love said. “I’ve learned from a lot of mistakes that allow me to execute at a high level.”
Love added that experience at Phoenix has helped him understand the track better with every visit, while the opportunity to race in front of West Coast fans remains a special part of the weekend.
“I know last year got a lot of boos, but I appreciate the cheers this time,” he said.
While Love celebrated, Sheldon Creed was left wondering what might have been.
Creed entered the weekend with a two-point advantage over Love in the standings, but his championship hopes took a significant hit when the No. 00 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet lost power during the Stage 1 caution because of a mechanical issue.
Creed had managed to finish second in the opening stage, earning nine additional points before trouble struck. He returned to the race several laps down but could do little to salvage his afternoon, finishing 32nd.
The result dropped Creed to fourth in the unofficial standings, 59 points behind Love. A two-point cushion had become a substantial mountain to climb in the space of a single race.
Allgaier, meanwhile, finished fourth at Phoenix and moved into second in the standings, 36 points behind Love. Corey Day and Sammy Smith completed the top five, while Brandon Jones, Dean Thompson, William Sawalich, Rajah Caruth and Carson Kvapil rounded out the top 10.
Mayer’s runner-up finish was a frustrating one, particularly given the championship implications. Starting from the rear after his team was forced to change an engine, the No. 41 team worked its way forward and ultimately had a shot at the win, only to come up just short.
“Honestly, neither of us really made one,” Mayer said of the mistakes that might have decided the finish. “It came down to make a mistake or not, and he executed really well.”
Mayer praised his team for delivering a strong car and said the race was the most fun he’d had all season. But the points situation was less entertaining. He left Phoenix 86 points behind Love, making a victory at Talladega Superspeedway next Saturday feel increasingly necessary.
Mayer remains convinced the superspeedway can change everything.
“I mean, we should have won Talladega in the spring and we DNF,” he said. “I feel like Talladega, anything can happen.”
That’s the beauty — and the headache — of a Chase format. A driver can spend an afternoon collecting trophies and stage points, only to discover that a single mechanical failure has turned the championship fight into a rescue mission. And at Talladega, where the racing gods have a well-established sense of humor, nobody is entirely safe.
With three races remaining, Love has put himself in the driver’s seat. He has the momentum, the points lead and a team that appears to be hitting its stride at precisely the right time.
But the next stop is Talladega, where momentum can disappear in the blink of an eye and a championship contender can go from hero to passenger before he has time to ask what happened.
Love has given himself a valuable cushion. Now comes the tricky part: keeping it.
RACE RESULTS
ALL LOVE!
@jesselovejr1 holds off Sam Mayer to claim victory at Phoenix and become the new @NASCAROReillyAP Championship points leader. https://t.co/4mid62ajX3
— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) October 18, 2026
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.
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