Robbed. That’s how Jesse Love will be feeling after seeing his Xfinity Series victory at Rockingham Speedway being snatched away. The Richard Childress Racing driver showed a masterclass in fuel management and led 53 laps at the iconic track to cross the finish line first. The celebrations were wild for the sophomore racer, who had previously won the season-opener at Daytona International Speedway. Who knew that it would all be short-lived?
Hours after the race, Love was disqualified because of an infringement in the rear suspension, relegating him to 37th place. Taking advantage of his misery, Connor Zilisch couldn’t help but joke about the 20-year-old’s finish, receiving a three-word response by the No. 2 Chevy driver in return.
Zilisch pokes fun at Jesse Love’s misfortune
To say that the North Carolina Education Lottery 250 was chaotic would be an understatement. The race featured 14 cautions and two red flags, and even went into overtime, which was when Jesse Love overtook Sammy Smith. It was a stark difference from the Xfinity Series’ last Rockingham Speedway race over two decades ago, when Jamie McMurray won a relatively clean race featuring just four cautions. Given how the race played out, Love felt that he deserved his first non-superspeedway triumph. However, fate had other plans.
After the news about his disqualification became public, JR Motorsports’ Connor Zilisch couldn’t help but poke fun at Jesse Love’s misfortune, sharing a picture of the two drivers with the caption, “P13 and P38”. Naturally, rubbing salt on his wounds didn’t go down well with Love, who went on to say, “I hate you.” It’s evident that both drivers share a close rapport to engage in some friendly banter on social media.
Connor Zilisch will also be feeling that Lady Luck wasn’t on his side at ‘The Rock’. The youngster clocked the fastest time during qualifying, clocking a time of 22.630. The pole was his fourth so far, and third for the 2025 campaign. However, the 18-year-old’s joy was also short-lived, as a flat tire during qualifying required an unapproved adjustment, forcing him to start the race at the back. Not the ideal weekend for either of the drivers, right?
I hate you https://t.co/b1Jm2LJItZ
— jesse love jr (@jesselovejr1) April 20, 2025
Looking back at the weekend, both Jesse Love and Connor Zilisch will reflect on the weekend as a missed opportunity. While the race at Rockingham didn’t turn out the way they wanted, both drivers will now shift their attention to Talladega Superspeedway, hoping to make amends at the superspeedway. The No. 2 Chevy has already entered Victory Lane at ‘the Dega’ once before in 2024, and with a point to prove after the heartbreak, could he go on to achieve that feat again?
Dale Jr. comments on Love and Zilisch’s sleeping habits
Being a professional racer is exhausting, just ask Connor Zilisch and Jesse Love. Even though both drivers are quite young, neither of them lets go of a chance to take a nap on race days. Given the banter between the two, they don’t even hesitate to share embarrassing pictures of each other getting some shut-eye in public, leaving none other than Dale Earnhardt Jr. perplexed at their habits.
It all started with Jesse Love, who shared a picture of Connor Zilisch blissfully sleeping in the car with the caption, “Y’all ain’t gonna believe this thanks Jim.” Taking revenge for his photo being shared, the JR Motorsports driver shared a picture of Love getting some shut-eye while wearing a black hoodie and shades, with the post saying, “Lock in bro.” The banter continued with the Richard Childress Racing driver sharing another photo of Zilisch sleeping, and said, “This just in.”
Dale Jr., who saw the banter between the two racers, couldn’t help but say, “FFS why do yall kids need so many naps? I was a damn bolt of lightning at that age.” In response, Zilisch went on to say, “What else is there to do when the garage opens at 10am and we do 2 laps of qualifying at 5pm.” It’s clear that the banter between Jesse Love and Connor Zilisch won’t be ending anytime soon, and fans are all for seeing the duo pull each other’s legs on social media.
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