NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Jesse Love. Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Jesse Love bumps Shane van Gisbergen for final transfer spot in Xfinity Series playoff race at Charlotte

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Oct 12, 2024 9:37 PM ET

Shane van Gisbergen's quest for the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship came to an end at the Charlotte Roval on Saturday, as the NASCAR rookie came up just two points shy of advancing to the Round of 8.

A third-place effort couldn't offset van Gisbergen's 35th-place finish at Talladega one week ago, and after losing the lead to Parker Kligerman late, van Gisbergen's older tires were no match for the fresh rubber of the leaders. A win would've given van Gisbergen a guaranteed berth in the Round of 8.

A rough-and-tumble final lap for Jesse Love resulted in a 19th-place finish that gave Love the edge over van Gisbergen for the transfer spot.

"You're obviously in pain because you wanted to get through," van Gisbergen told Frontstretch.com after the race. "Last week really hurt us. We had really good speed, but not quite enough. It is what it is. In reality, it comes down to last week."

"It's a tough one" - Shane van Gisbergen missed advancing to the Xfinity Series playoffs Round of 8 by two points following a third-place finish at the Charlotte ROVAL.

@soundlink_trent #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/1cJ2CwnX59
— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) October 13, 2024

The playoff elimination comes after a very impressive rookie season from van Gisbergen, in which the 35-year-old has won three races. He now has four more chances to win in the Xfinity Series before the season is over, with Cup starts planned as well before a full-time Cup Series ride in 2025.

For Love, the Round of 8 berth extends his playoff run in his rookie season and bolsters his case for Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year. The 19-year-old won the first race of his Xfinity Series career at Talladega on April 20 and has impressed throughout the season.

"I had to use the bumper and get aggressive," Love said, regarding the final laps of Saturday's race, in which he ruffled a few feathers. "That's why we have bumpers. I got into Preston Pardus real hard, that was a spot I had to get coming to the white (flag). I got to be aggressive in times like this and show my worth. We get to go race for a championship now."

Jesse Love had to use the bumper on Preston Pardus and he really feels bad about doing that because of how much respect he has for him

But he said he needed the point and he certainly didn't wreck him pic.twitter.com/ll85KE4Yhu
— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) October 12, 2024

The Xfinity Series' Round of 8 will begin on Oct. 19 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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