It started with a win at the beaches of Daytona in February and ended with a championship in the desert of Phoenix.
A former ARCA West Series Champion at Phoenix Raceway, Jesse Love claimed the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series title with a late pass against fellow championship competitor, Connor Zilisch. The 20-year-old Californian picks up the championship just one year removed from being crowned as the series’s Rookie of the Year.
Success at Phoenix has been the name of the game for Love. He claimed the ARCA West championships during NASCAR Championship Weekend at Phoenix Raceway in both 2020 and 2021. Love is also four for four in finishing top-ten at Phoenix Raceway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. But it wasn’t until today that Love found victory lane at the one-mile oval in Avondale.
Aric Almirola finished second and claimed the owner points championship, while ten-time race winner this season, Connor Zilisch, rounded out the top three spots. Brandon Jones finished fourth, while the remaining Championship 4 drivers, Justin Allgaier and Carson Kvapil finished 5th and 13th.
Peoria, AZ native, Leland Honeyman Jr. ended the night with a 24th-place finish for Cope Family Racing.
NASCAR Championship Weekend at Phoenix Raceway concludes Sunday with the NASCAR Cup Series Championship between Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, William Byron, and Chase Briscoe. The Championship will be on NBC with the green flag at 1:00 pm. NASCAR returns to Phoenix Raceway in March alongside the return of INDYCAR from March 5-8.
Get your tickets while they last for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship by visiting phoenixraceway.com.
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