Image credit: IMAGN
Image credit: IMAGN
It is a no-brainer that Richard Childress Racing has been struggling over the past few seasons. But the woes could get even deeper as the team might lose their rising NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts rising star Jesse Love to other teams in the Cup Series.
RCR has been an important team in NASCAR’s history. However, over the past few years, the team has been struggling to produce decent results despite having the two-time NASCAR champion Kyle Busch on their team.
His consistent performance this season has caught the eyes of team owners all over the NASCAR Cup Series garage. While talking on The Teardown podcast , Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic revealed, saying, “You talk to people in the garage, they think he’s [Love] really talented. There’s Cup teams that are interested in him."
BRISTOL, TN - APRIL 11: Jesse Love 2 Richard Childress Racing Whelen Chevrolet sits on pit road wall during practice for the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA O Reilly Auto Parts Series Suburban Propane 300 on April 11, 2026 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, TN. Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire AUTO: APR 11 NASCAR OReilly Auto Parts Series Suburban Propane 300 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon260411412300
BRISTOL, TN - APRIL 11: Jesse Love 2 Richard Childress Racing Whelen Chevrolet sits on pit road wall during practice for the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA O Reilly Auto Parts Series Suburban Propane 300 on April 11, 2026 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, TN. Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire AUTO: APR 11 NASCAR OReilly Auto Parts Series Suburban Propane 300 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon260411412300
In recent years, Childress found a new hope in the NOAPS racing driver Jesse Love. The 21-year-old delivered RCR their first championship in quite some time last season. The #2 driver has been putting up spectacular performances this season as well and has accumulated nine top ten finishes in the last thirteen races.
In fact, he almost won the race at Watkins Glen before he got overtaken by Connor Zilisch on the final turn, causing huge heartbreak.
But given the statistics, it is not a surprise that several teams in the Cup series are interested in signing Love. The teams reportedly keeping a close eye on the RCR rising star are Trackhouse Racing, Spire Motorsports, and maybe even Hendrick Motorsports, given the inconsistent performances William Byron has been putting in.
Jesse Love has a better chance at breaking into NASCAR with the other teams than with Richard Childress Racing. This is because none of the NOAPS RCR drivers since 2020 have made it to the Cup Series for a full-time drive.
But the question that remains is whether Kyle Busch would make way for the young talent.
Richard Childress has a major decision to make
The two-time world champion signed with the team back in 2023 and delivered three wins. However, since then, Busch has struggled with putting up consistent performances.
Many fans have speculated that Love could take up Busch’s spot. The #8 driver's contract expires at the end of the 2026 season.
However, Richard Childress has made some major changes to the teams recently. He swapped Kyle's crew chief to Andy Street after struggling to put up decent performances with Jim Pohlman.
It will be interesting to see if Childress will bite the bullet and replace his experienced driver with a rookie or if he will risk losing a potential championship winner.
You can read more on the Daytona Racing Digest!
Written by
Chionia Libania Colaco
Edited by
Suyashdeep Sason