Jesse Love closes out breakout year with Xfinity Series championship

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Jesse Love turned in the ultimate season bookends, winning the opening race of the 2025 schedule at Daytona then closing it out with the biggest win of his young career to claim the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship on Saturday night at Phoenix Raceway.

The 20-year-old Californian had to best his best friend, the season's 10-race winner Connor Zilisch, to claim the career-changing victory and title. Love ultimately passed the JR Motorsports driver Zilisch for the lead with 24 laps to go at the desert one-miler and then had to hold off veteran Aric Almirola after the Joe Gibbs Racing driver also got around Zilisch with eight laps remaining.

The emotions were unmistakable as Love climbed out of his No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, the smoke still rising behind on track from the celebratory donuts he performed in victory. He immediately gave his father Duke a huge, lingering embrace -- the sentiment between the two palpable and unmistakable. Love finished the season with two wins, nine top fives, 22 top-10s and four poles.

"I just feel so clean, and relieved," said Love, whose margin of victory was .861-second. "It's been a tough year for me, and I've put so much work into it and people like my dad and (driver coach) Scott Speed and my whole No. 2 team worked just as hard for my dream as I have for my own.

"It really hasn't set in yet. All these emotions, it doesn't feel real, doesn't feel real at all," Love said, adding of the close contest with Zilisch, "He's my best friend in the whole world but not when we're racing each other. We race each other hard but fair. ... He ran a really great race tonight, but my car was just better tonight."

Almirola was almost as emotional in celebrating the Owners Championship for Joe Gibbs Racing. The former full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver has stayed in the sport racing part-time for the Joe Gibbs Racing team, officially earning a position in the owners' championship with a victory at Las Vegas in the Playoffs.

Almirola's 17 races in the JGR No. 19 Toyota was most among the six drivers who combined to drive it this season. Almirola earned all three wins for the car and scored 11 top-10 finishes.

"It is a team effort and I'm just so thankful for Coach (Gibbs) and the Gibbs family," said Almirola, a three-time winner in a 12-year full-time career in the NASCAR Cup Series that ended in 2023.

"This is really, really great. I've never won a championship. This is my first championship and it isn't about me, but I was a part of it and so proud of our organization and everyone who supports us."

"I am so grateful to be a part of that and deliver that to Joe Gibbs Racing."

Zilisch's third-place finish and the dominating season he turned in this season in the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet was enough to earn Rookie of the Year honors, but that was of little consolation in the immediate moments after the checkered flag.

"Nothing to hang our heads about," said Zilisch, who became the most successful rookie in series history with a record 18 consecutive top-five finishes, 20 top-10 and 19 top-five finishes as part of his 10-trophy effort. "We gave it our all today and it doesn't take away from anything we did this year. We had a hell of a year. This is just going to sting a little bit.

"I left my heart out on the track," he said.

As for his best friend Love, Zilisch was kind even in the heartbreak, "I'm very happy for him, he works hard at it, but I came here to win and it still doesn't make it any better."

The other two of the four championship-eligible drivers, Zilisch's JR Motorsports teammates Justin Allgaier and Carson Kvapil, finished fifth and 13th, respectively. The defending series champion, Allgaier won a stage and led a race-best 83 of the 200 laps -- one of six leaders on the evening. But he was never able to reclaim the lead after losing it during a pit stop with 50 laps remaining.

"He did all the right things," Allgaier said. "They rose to the occasion and we didn't."

Pole-winner Brandon Jones, who drives the No. 20 JGR Toyota, finished fourth, followed by Allgaier. Taylor Gray, who won the race's first stage, finished seventh in another JGR Toyota, followed by Haas Factory Team driver Sheldon Creed, Love's RCR teammate Austin Hill and JGR's Justin Bonsignore.

NASCAR Xfinity Series Race -- NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship

Phoenix Raceway, Avondale, Arizona

Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025

1. (6) Jesse Love (P), Chevrolet, 200.

2. (7) Aric Almirola (P), Toyota, 200.

3. (4) Connor Zilisch # (P), Chevrolet, 200.

4. (1) Brandon Jones, Toyota, 200.

5. (5) Justin Allgaier (P), Chevrolet, 200.

6. (18) Sammy Smith, Chevrolet, 200.

7. (2) Taylor Gray #, Toyota, 200.

8. (3) Sheldon Creed, Ford, 200.

9. (16) Austin Hill (P), Chevrolet, 200.

10. (13) Justin Bonsignore, Toyota, 200.

11. (12) Harrison Burton, Ford, 200.

12. (17) Kyle Sieg, Ford, 200.

13. (14) Carson Kvapil # (P), Chevrolet, 200.

14. (15) Corey Day, Chevrolet, 200.

15. (8) Nick Sanchez #, Chevrolet, 200.

16. (21) Christian Eckes #, Chevrolet, 200.

17. (9) Dean Thompson #, Toyota, 200.

18. (24) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 200.

19. (20) Brenden Queen, Chevrolet, 200.

20. (28) Nick Leitz, Ford, 200.

21. (30) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, 200.

22. (22) Connor Mosack(i), Chevrolet, 200.

23. (27) Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, 200.

24. (25) Leland Honeyman, Chevrolet, 199.

25. (23) Blaine Perkins, Chevrolet, 199.

26. (37) Josh Williams, Chevrolet, 199.

27. (19) Parker Retzlaff, Chevrolet, 199.

28. (33) Daniel Dye #, Chevrolet, 199.

29. (34) Stefan Parsons(i), Chevrolet, 198.

30. (36) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 198.

31. (32) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, 198.

32. (26) Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, 196.

33. (29) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 196.

34. (35) Glen Reen, Ford, 196.

35. (31) Patrick Emerling(i), Chevrolet, 192.

36. (38) Dawson Cram, Chevrolet, 191.

37. (10) Ryan Sieg, Ford, Accident, 150.

38. (11) Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, Accident, 36.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 98.509 mph.

Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 1 Mins, 49 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.861 Seconds.

Caution Flags: 4 for 31 laps.

Lead Changes: 15 among 6 drivers.

Lap Leaders: B. Jones 1-10;T. Gray # 11-49;C. Zilisch # (P) 50;T. Gray # 51-55;C. Zilisch # (P) 56-62;J. Allgaier (P) 63-95;C. Zilisch # (P) 96;J. Love (P) 97-102;J. Allgaier (P) 103-117;J. Love (P) 118;J. Allgaier (P) 119-153;C. Zilisch # (P) 154;L. Honeyman 155;J. Love (P) 156-158;C. Zilisch # (P) 159-175;J. Love (P) 176-200.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Justin Allgaier (P) 3 times for 83 laps; Taylor Gray # 2 times for 44 laps; Jesse Love (P) 4 times for 35 laps; Connor Zilisch # (P) 5 times for 27 laps; Brandon Jones 1 time for 10 laps; Leland Honeyman 1 time for 1 lap.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 54,00,7,88,48,1,39,19,8,20

Stage #2 Top Ten: 7,88,19,00,2,54,48,20,1,41

--Holly Cain, Special to Field Level Media