LONG POND, Penn. — Richard Childress Racing driver Jesse Love watched as NASCAR Xfinity Series rival Connor Zilisch did donuts on the frontstretch of Pocono Raceway on Saturday, June 21.
An indifferent look on his face, Love was overcome with a mix of emotions. As a race car driver, a competitor, and athlete, he should be upset with a second-place finish in a race where he felt he should’ve won.
But how can you feel like that when you only lost to your best friend?
“At the end of the day, I’m a competitor before anything else,” Love told Frontstretch. “So, it stings because I was the bridesmaid, but at the same time, life is more than just being a race car driver. Life is more beautiful than just that, and how cool is it that me and my best friend get to go race on the second biggest stage in America for wins?
“That’s stuff that we dream of growing up as a kid playing iRacing together and working at the track together.”
With only 13 laps to go, the field restarted behind Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott and series reigning champion Justin Allgaier, who restarted on the front row.
However, upon entering turn 1, Allgaier drove the car in deep and slipped up the banking and into pseudo-teammate Elliott. Both drivers, who had led a combined 48 out of 100 laps of the day, were shuffled to the middle of the pack as a result.
Upon exiting the corner, it was Love that slipped through and into the lead, but he knew he might not stay there long.
“I could make do on restarts and such,” Love said. “But on the long run, we got really, really tight. It was a lot of cautions, and I knew restarts I could make up all the ground because we were struggling to build our balance of the car, but I feel like I didn’t really want too many long runs today.”
With laps ticking away and Love’s lead increasing, it appeared that the No. 2 was on its way to earning a second victory of 2025.
Then the final caution waved, and the 20-year-old had to go through one more restart. In his rearview mirror, he could see the front bumper of the No. 88 Chevrolet – his friend and rival Zilisch.
“Once that caution came out, I knew it was heads up between me and the No. 88,” Love said. “I had to find another gear, and I was just thinking about I need part of the corner where I could just maximize better. … I really thought I had it and then just felt like I couldn’t enter the corner at the same speed as he could and still finish it.”
Upon the green flag, the two raced each other for the lead with the RCR driver clearing Zilisch.
However, the 19-year-old JR Motorsports rookie was unperturbed. While the two were friendly off the track, they were fierce competitors.
“It’s tough,” Zilisch said post-race. “You know the saying, ‘I’d wreck my mom for a win’? It’s tough because you don’t want to have to go hang out on Monday and him be mad at me, but at the same time, a win is a win. If it’s for fifth place or whatever, I might be a little bit nicer than most other guys. But for the win, I’m going to race everyone like I want to win. That’s kind of just the bottom line, and he would do the same. I expect the same out of them, right?”
The two weren’t only racing for a NASCAR race win. It was also for bragging rights.
“We help each other a lot,” Zilisch continued. “But at the same time, we push each other to be better too. We hold each other to a standard and when one of us isn’t doing well, we let the other one know. So, it’s really cool to have someone like him that I can lean on and that also pushes me to be better, because I feel like we’re both pretty young and coming up, and I don’t want to get beat by him, and he doesn’t want to get beat by me either. So, it pushes both of us to be better.”
Yet despite Love’s best efforts, Zilisch had the faster car and overtook his teammate with only five laps to go.
“I had the better car today, for sure,” Zilisch recalled. “The Hendrick engine shops do an incredible job, and we’ve been really fast in all aspects, and it was just a matter of time when I got up into the top three with the [Nos.] 16 and 2 where I was going to be able to sneak by and make a move, and it just took one little mistake from Jesse, and it was to squeeze by without any chaos or contact.”
Love did all he could to try and catch the No. 88, but it was for naught. Love had to settle for second, and while he enjoyed racing with his confidant, he couldn’t help but be disappointed as well.
“At the same time, you can feel different emotions,” Love said. “You can be happy, and you can be sad and feel those things in the same moment. That’s kind of what I’m going through right now.
“So, as a friend I’m happy for him. As a competitor, I’m upset for myself.”
The two now share three wins apiece so far this season with Zilisch earning a second victory on Saturday and Love having one.
It’s the first time the two have raced each other for a Xfinity Series win in the closing laps of a race. However, with both drivers making periodic NASCAR Cup Series starts in 2025 and a likely bright future ahead for them both, it will certainly not be the last time they tangle for a victory.
There will be plenty of opportunities left for Love to even the score.
Dalton Hopkins began writing for Frontstretch in April 2021. Currently, he is the lead writer for the weekly Thinkin' Out Loud column, co-host of the Frontstretch Happy Hour podcast, and one of our lead reporters. Beforehand, he wrote for IMSA shortly after graduating from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2019. Simultaneously, he also serves as a Captain in the US Army.
Follow Dalton on Twitter @PitLaneCPT