Love comes up 14 points short of winning back to back O'Reilly Series championships

Richard Childress Racing driver Jesse Love. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jesse Love comes up 14 points short of winning back to back NASCAR O'Reilly Series championships

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Nov 7, 2026 9:29 PM ET

In his final race with Richard Childress Racing's NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series program, Jesse Love finished a strong fourth but still came up 14 points short of winning back-to-back championship.

Love entered Saturday's race 22 points back of points leader Justin Allgaier but was unable to mount the winning charge he needed to claim the championship.

Love, who will be a Cup Series rookie with the Wood Brothers in 2027, said he didn't want to dwell on where he and the No. 2 team lost the championship.

"There's a thousand different things that could've gone differently to gain us those 15 points," Love told CW Sports. "I feel that, at the end of the day, obviously it stings. It's a painful thing to do through, losing, and it being close. Unfortunately with the caution, the pit cycle and having those couple laps on our tires, that was enough to probably do us in tonight."

.@jesselovejr1's bid for a repeat comes up short in his last race before moving on to the Cup Series. https://t.co/9puTAJKX5e
— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) November 8, 2026

Final caution doomed Jesse Love's title hopes

Love had pitted right before the final caution of the race came out for a spinning Andrew Patterson, who crashed at the entry of pit road. Love was at a very slight tire disadvantage compared to the likes of Allgaier, Carson Kvapil and Brandon Jones, but at an abrasive track like Homestead, it was enough to hinder him on the final run.

"I was obviously upset getting out of the car, but when I get to be around our group of guys on the 2 car, a lot more happiness and gratefulness kind of overwhelms me than the sting of the loss. This closes out a big chapter in my life over the last three years that I'm going to miss tremendously, but I'll always be extremely grateful now.

"While it hurts now, I know I come back stronger from these things."

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from Arkansas, the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorbacks basketball. He's a member of the National Motorsports Press Association and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. Samuel attends the University of Arkansas.

More must-reads: