Jesse Love clinches Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year honors over Shane van Gisbergen

Any time you can beat a three-time Supercars champion in anything, it’s impressive. Jesse Love has done just that this season. Love has beaten Shane van Gisbergen for Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

This season, both Jesse Love and SVG won at least one race. Of course, van Gisbergen went on to win three races on road courses this year. Love won at Talladega in the spring.

Love made it to the Round of 8 in the playoffs. SVG was eliminated in the Round of 12. For the 19-year-old, it is a very impressive rookie campaign with one more race left to go. We knew the ARCA champion was good, but he really showed it this season.

Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports reported that the points difference is too great for Shane van Gisbergen to make up at Phoenix. The two are separated by 76 points heading into the finale.

Love had to win to make the Championship 4 but came up short in P12.

Jesse Love has clinched Xfinity rookie of the year as SVG can't catch him in driver points. https://t.co/kLMrGV7ltv

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) November 2, 2024

Jesse Love is a great talent. He has shown that this season. Love has seven top-5s on a variety of tracks in addition to 10 top-10s. He also has five pole awards this season, leading the Xfinity Series.

While he has made rookie mistakes and had bad moments on track, Love is a true talent. Next season, I fully expect him to be a championship contender at only 20 years old. He has shown great improvement in his one year at Richard Childress Racing.

If RCR knows what is good for them, they would do whatever they have to do to keep Jesse Love in house. It won’t be long before he is ready for the Cup Series.

Jesse Love could lead group of talented young drivers in 2025

While Jesse Love will be a second-year driver next season, the Xfinity Series will be full of young talent. Connor Zilisch, Carson Kvapil, William Sawalich, Taylor Gray, Sammy Smith (who is only 20), Christian Eckes, Nick Sanchez – there will be a lot of names.

Not all of these drivers will make it to the Cup Series. But a few of them can and will. The fun thing about the Xfinity Series is seeing those future Cup talents. And 2025 is going to take that to another level with the amount of talent under 25 in this series.

Zilisch and Sawalich put on great battles in ARCA. We can’t ignore the Xfinity Series debut win at Watkins Glen for Zilisch, either. Sammy Smith is really coming into his own, although it has taken longer than expected.

Jesse Love is going to be Rookie of the Year in the Xfinity Series for 2024. What will he accomplish in 2025?