Jesse Love takes first season win at Gateway

Jesse Love grabbed his first win of the season Saturday night at the World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois, holding off the rest of the grid by 0.896 seconds to win the Nu Way 225.

As it Unfolded

Carson Kvapil earned the pole for Saturday night’s race, with Jesse Love starting alongside him on the front row. Sheldon Creed started third, followed by Corey Day and Justin Allgaier. 

Kvapil took control from the start, leading Love and the rest of the field through the opening laps. Creed lost several spots early on as the field began to settle into the race. 

The first caution arrived on Lap 13 after Taylor Gray spun entering Turn 1. Gray avoided contact with the wall, which allowed the field to regroup for the restart.

After the restart, Corey Day moved into second behind Kvapil, who continued to lead as the first stage wound down. Kvapil held onto the top spot to win Stage 1. 

Credit: James Gilbert via Getty Images

Stage 1 Results

1. No. 1 - Carson Kvapil - (JR Motorsports)

2. No. 17 - Corey Day - (Hendrick Motorsports)

3. No. 7 - Justin Allgaier - (JR Motorsports)

4. No. 21 - Austin Hill - (Richard Childress Racing)

5. No. 2 - Jesse Love - (Richard Childress Racing)

6. No. 00 - Sheldon Creed - (Haas Factory Team)

7. No. 19 - Brent Crews - (Joe Gibbs Racing)

8. No. 18 - William Sawalich - (Joe Gibbs Racing)

9. No. 41 - Sam Mayer - (Haas Factory Team)

10. No. 99 - Parker Retzlaff - (Viking Motorsports)

The next phase of the race kicked off with drama and what was likely one of the biggest moments of the race. On Lap 48, a crash involving 11 drivers took place in the pitlane. Rajah Caruth was hit from behind by Nick Sanchez which set off a chain-reaction in the lane, leading to a severe pile up. Several crew members from Brent Crews’ pit crew were caught in the incident, however none reported serious injuries. 

The 11 drivers involved were Caruth, Sanchez, Jeremy Clements, Anthony Alfredo, Harrison Burton, Jeb Burton, Brandon Jones, Ryan Sieg, Patrick Staropoli and Dean Thompson. The incident brought out a red flag and forced Sanchez and Burton to retire from the race. 

Kvapil continued to lead after the restart under caution. After an official restart on Lap 78, Love took the lead with 12 laps remaining in the second stage. Sam Mayer and Kvapil naturally raced for the lead near the end of Stage 2, but Love was able to hold onto the top spot and took the Stage 2 Victory.

Stage 2 Results

1. No. 2 - Jesse Love - (Richard Childress Racing)

2. No. 41 - Sam Mayer - (Haas Factory Team)

3. No. 1 - Carson Kvapil - (JR Motorsports)

4. No. 00 - Sheldon Creed - (Haas Factory Team)

5. No. 18 - William Sawalich - (Joe Gibbs Racing)

6. No. 7 - Justin Allgaier - (JR Motorsports)

7. No. 17 - Corey Day - (Hendrick Motorsports)

8. No. 99 - Parker Retzlaff - (Viking Motorsports)

9. No. 8 - Sammy Smith - (JR Motorsports)

10. No. 39 - Ryan Sieg - (RSS Racing)

Credit: Meg Oliphant via Getty Images

Love continued to lead into the third stage, holding off his teammate Austin Hill as Sam Mayer ran second and Corey Day and Hill followed behind.

Kvapil worked his way back toward the front, moving into second on Lap 121 after passing Mayer. He trailed Love by 3.2 seconds as both drivers showed fast pace on track.

On Lap 127, Lavar Scott made contact with the wall heading into Turn 2, causing a caution and giving the field an opportunity to make an important pit stop.

Another caution followed after more drama from William Sawalich and Corey Day crashed on the backstretch. Allgaier was also involved in the conflict. Sawalich wasn’t penalized for the incident, however he ended up restarting at the back of the grid after making a pit stop for repairs.

After a restart on Lap 139, Kvapil regained the lead from the outside. With 30 laps remaining in the race, another caution came out after Joey Gase, Josh Bilicki and Brad Perez had a three-car spin. With just over 20 laps remaining, the race kicked off yet another restart, where Kvapil maintained the lead and was closely followed by Love, Creed, Mayer and Gray. 

Love made his move to the front with 16 laps remaining as Kvapil fell to fourth and Creed and Mayer moved into second and third, respectively. Love held off the field for the remaining laps, crossing the finish line 0.896 seconds ahead of Creed to earn his fourth career O’Reilly Series victory.

The win marked Love’s first win of the season. He led 70 laps throughout the 180-lap race. The win has also brought Love back into the championship conversation, putting him at fourth in the points standings for The Chase. Creed’s second-place finish has him at the top of the standings with 2,175 points, followed just three points behind by Allgaier, and Kvapil at third. Both Mayer and Hill are tied for fifth. 

Provisional Final Results

1. No. 2 - Jesse Love - (Richard Childress Racing)

2. No. 00 - Sheldon Creed - (Haas Factory Team)

3. No. 41 - Sam Mayer - (Haas Factory Team)

4. No. 54 - Taylor Gray - (Joe Gibbs Racing)

5. No. 1 - Carson Kvapil - (JR Motorsports)

6. No. 99 - Parker Retzlaff - (Viking Motorsports)

7. No. 19 - Brent Crews - (Joe Gibbs Racing)

8. No. 8 - Sammy Smith - (JR Motorsports)

9. No. 28 - Kyle Sieg - (RSS Racing)

10. No. 27 - Jeb Burton - (Jordan Anderson Racing)

11. No. 88 - Rajah Caruth - (JR Motorsports)

12. No. 26 - Dean Thompson - (Sam Hunt Racing)

13. No. 7 - Justin Allgaier - (JR Motorsports)

14. No. 39 - Ryan Sieg - (RSS Racing)

15. No. 20 - Brandon Jones - (Joe Gibbs Racing)

16. No. 18 - William Sawalich - (Joe Gibbs Racing)

17. No. 48 - Patrick Staropoli - (Big Machine Racing)

18. No. 92 - Josh Williams - (DGM Racing)

19. No. 44 - Brennan Poole - (Alpha Prime Racing)

20. No. 31 - Blaine Perkins - (Jordan Anderson Racing)

21. No. 91 - Mason Maggio - (DGM Racing)

22. No. 96 - Anthony Alfredo - (Viking Motorsports)

23. No. 32 - Jordan Anderson - (Jordan Anderson Racing)

24. No. 02 - Ryan Ellis - (Young's Motorsports)

25. No. 0 - Myatt Snider - (SS Green Light Racing)

26. No. 07 - Josh Bilicki - (SS Green Light Racing)

27. No. 55 - Joey Gase - (Joey Gase Motorsports)

28. No. 42 - Brad Perez - (Young's Motorsports)

29. No. 21 - Austin Hill - (Richard Childress Racing)

30. No. 45 - Lavar Scott - (Alpha Prime Racing)

31. No. 51 - Jeremy Clements - (Jeremy Clements Racing)

32. No. 53 - Austin J. Hill - (Joey Gase Motorsports)

33. No. 17 - Corey Day - (Hendrick Motorsports)

34. No. 87 - Nick Sanchez - (Peterson Racing Group)

35. No. 24 - Harrison Burton - (Sam Hunt Racing)

36. No. 47 - Dawson Cram - (Mike Harmon Racing)