Dale Earnhardt Jr Xfinity Series hopes were dashed as Jesse Love clinched the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship in 2025, closing the season with a decisive victory at Phoenix Raceway following his earlier triumph at Daytona International Speedway. Despite JR Motorsports fielding three contenders in the Championship 4, Love prevailed in November at Phoenix, outperforming key rivals and proving his win was far from accidental.
Jesse Love Overcomes Strong Competition in the Finale
The odds in the season finale were heavily against Jesse Love, as the only non-JR Motorsports driver in the championship race with Carson Kvapil, Justin Allgaier, and Connor Zilisch representing the powerhouse team. Love, however, showed both composure and skill at Phoenix Raceway, where he led for 34 laps and executed a crucial pass on Zilisch on lap 176 out of 200. This move cemented his victory and made him the series champion for the season.
On the Dale Jr. Download following the race, Dale Earnhardt Jr. reflected on the outcome and underscored that there was no question of luck being involved. Although he described the result as tough to accept, Earnhardt Jr. remained gracious, recognizing the performance of Love and his team.
“With all that being said… I pause to say anything that’s damaging to the legitimacy of the championship or doing anything that might take away or — I wouldn’t wanna say anything on this show that would rub Jesse Love the wrong way, RCR the wrong way, Danny Lawrence the wrong way. All these people that are a part of that program, there’s people that are at RCR that are like family to me. … As frustrating as it is to lose having three teams against one, they won and the race played out naturally.”
— Dale Earnhardt Jr., Team Owner
Performance and Strategy Define the Outcome
Love’s championship run came by excelling against a field dominated by JR Motorsports, including notable efforts from Connor Zilisch. Zilisch, a standout rookie, won 10 races during the season and achieved an unprecedented 18 consecutive top-five finishes, but fell just short of the title in the final event at Phoenix.
During the championship race, Love’s car showed remarkable speed from the onset, and strategic pit stops helped fine-tune its performance throughout the night. Earnhardt Jr. acknowledged on his show how Love’s team capitalized on every opportunity and expressed respect for the way the competition unfolded.
“The 2 was fast from the moment they unloaded. The car was a little bit off on the first stage, but they dialed it in, and they had amazing pit stops. They were doing four lugs, maybe three on the lefts but hey, as long as they got all the lugs on the car at the end of the race, they call it fair. They took advantage of every single corner and anywhere they could cut and gain an advantage, they did. I can’t take anything away from them. It wasn’t a fluke, they ran great all night, they passed us, drove by and won the race. Had the faster car at the end when it counted. Under the current format that we ran this year, they did it.”
— Dale Earnhardt Jr., Team Owner
Jesse Love Earns Endorsement and Respect from Earnhardt
After a hard-fought evening, Love and his team at RCR (Richard Childress Racing) celebrated a hard-won championship, navigating a tense night where every advantage mattered. Earnhardt, who has close ties with many on the RCR squad including Danny Lawrence, insisted there was no question about the legitimacy of Love’s championship, even as the loss struck a personal chord.
“Jesse Love, they’ll celebrate tonight. He’s the champion,”
— Dale Earnhardt Jr., Team Owner
“He was sitting at this table and I said, ‘Man, you might win it, and if you do, you’ll represent the series well and we’ll all, regardless of the great season that Connor had, we’re all gonna embrace whatever the outcome is.’ I told myself I would and so, yeah. I could be bitter about it, but that’s not gonna change much.”
— Dale Earnhardt Jr., Team Owner
As the season concluded, Love’s achievements at Daytona and Phoenix, and his ability to best heavy favorites like Zilisch, Kvapil, and Allgaier, earned him recognition throughout the NASCAR community. Although it was a disappointing night for JR Motorsports, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Xfinity Series commentary highlighted both the competitive intensity of the race and the respect earned by Love’s remarkable performance.
Looking ahead, the race sets the stage for future rivalries and stories as the NASCAR Xfinity Series continues to see new champions emerge and established teams like JR Motorsports and RCR pursue racing excellence at tracks such as Phoenix Raceway and Daytona International Speedway.
