I've kinda paid attention to Jesse Love since I started noticing his name in both midget ranks and pavement stock car stuff a few years ago.
He has moved on to the national stage the last couple of seasons, winning ARCA championships and a lot of races. Last fall he was named to the Richard Childress #2 Xfinity car; and I started telling people he was my pick to win the championship in that series.
So far, in two races, he was won both poles, 3 stages (they matter), broke C Bell's record (possibly a record, if not he was the most recent) for leading the most laps in a driver's 1st two races, and woulda won Saturday if not for a late caution which caused him to run out of fuel (his second pole win and domination of the Atlanta event, reminded me of the story of when Rick Hendrick noticed Jeff Gordon in the Busch series there...although so much was different from back then...the track, the rules, the Keith Simmons engine in the Baby Ruth car...etc).
What I am wondering, does anyone have his stats (like best finishes) from his USAC midget days? I think all his USAC National midget starts were in Keith Kunz TRDs (But I could be wrong). I suspect he was quick in qualifying? His website shows about 8 wins in the BCRA series (which, as far as I know, are "National midgets"?), and many championships and wins in what was that era's version of the West coast Ford Focus series.
He made 11 USAC National Midget starts in 2023, all for Chad Boat's CB Industries team. He finished a best of 5th twice at Kansas' Mitchell County Fairgrounds and California's Merced Speedway.
At Gas City during Indiana Midget Week in 2023, he set fast time and a new one-lap track record in qualifying.
All of his other five USAC National Midget starts came in 2020 for Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports with a best finish of 11th at Missouri's Sweet Springs Motorsports Complex.
In prior years, he captured several USAC HPD/Focus Midget championships:
-2015 Western Restricted HPD Midget Champion
-2016 Western HPD Midget Overall Champion
-2016 Western HPD Dirt Midget Champion
-2017 Western U.S. SpeeD2 Midget Overall Champion
-2017 Western U.S. SpeeD2 Dirt Midget Champion
-2017 Western U.S. SpeeD2 Pavement Midget Champion
